Covid-19: Siaya priest freed on bond after denying charge
What you need to know:
- Fr. Richard Onyango Oduor is accused of spreading the deadly Covid-10 disease in different parts of the country between March 12 and 20.
- He pleaded not guilty before Milimani Senior Principal Magistrate Martha Nanzushi.
- Ms Nanzushi directed that he be placed under the mandatory 14-day quarantine at a Catholic Church facility in Kilimani, Nairobi, as he did not observe this when he returned to the country.
Rome-based Catholic priest Richard Onyango Oduor on Thursday denied a charge of knowingly spreading the coronavirus and was released on Sh500,000 bond.
Fr. Richard Onyango Oduor is accused of knowingly spreading the deadly Covid-19 disease in different parts of the country between March 12 and 20.
He pleaded not guilty before Milimani Senior Principal Magistrate Martha Nanzushi.
Ms Nanzushi directed that he be placed under the mandatory 14-day quarantine at a Catholic Church facility in Kilimani, Nairobi, as he did not observe this when he returned to the country.
QUARANTINE IGNORED
Fr. Oduor's lawyers led by John Were had pleaded for leniency saying he had already spent time in quarantine after his admission and treatment in hospital until he recovered.
The magistrate rejected their pleas, saying it appeared the priest did not to understand the requirement to self-quarantine.
She said he would be placed under the quarantine he ignored but ordered his release on bond on Sh150,000 cash bail.
Fr. Oduor was also ordered to present one contact person, who must be approved by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), to guarantee his attendance in court.
The release terms will remain suspended during the quarantine period.
The case will be mentioned on May 2.
PRIEST'S TRAVELS
Fr Oduor arrived in the country from Rome on March 12 and stayed at the Utawala Catholic Parish in Nairobi until March 13, when he left for Kisumu using public means.
He checked into a guest house in Milimani in Kisumu town and proceeded to Ugenya in Siaya County the next day, and later to his parents’ home in Ambira village by public means.
The clergyman spent two nights at Sega Parish within the county before boarding a bus to Kisumu International Airport, where he took a flight to Nairobi on March 16.
He then proceeded to the Utawala Parish where he stayed until March 20 before going to the clinic and then to Mbagathi.
From there, he was transferred to the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) Infectious Diseases Unit, where he was admitted and tested for the virus. His positive state was confirmed the next day.
Doctors at KNH did two separate tests on the priest on April 4 and 7 and found that he had recovered so he was discharged. He was handed over to the police on April 9.
Police have recorded statements from the people Fr. Oduor interacted with in different parishes and officials from the Immigration department.
The priest is the second recovered patient to be charged with spreading the disease knowingly after Kilifi Deputy Governor Gideon Samburi.
