The High Court in Nairobi has overturned the acquittal of former Sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa in the Sh39 billion fake arms case. In a judgment delivered by High Court Judge Kanyi Kimondo on February 29, it was found that the trial magistrate erred in acquitting Echesa based on a lack of testimony from certain witnesses. Kimondo ruled that the prosecution had presented a strong case against Echesa and that the trial court should have found him with a case to answer, hence putting him on his defense rather than acquitting him. Read: Magistrate who Acquitted Echesa in Fake Arms Deal…
Author: Pinnah Mokeira
Lawyer Faith Mony Odhiambo clinched the Law Society of Kenya presidency in hotly contested polls. Odhiambo, who floored four other candidates, succeeds Eric Theuri who served as President for two years from March 2022. She garnered a total of 3113 votes against Peter Wanyama’s 2165 while Carolyne Kamende came third with 888. Fourth placed Bernard Ng’etich managed 833 votes, while Njoki Mboce got 511 votes. Odhiambo led in all the six polling stations at the Milimani Law Courts, and regions like in Nyeri, Homa bay, Nanyuki, Kisii, Machakos, Kisumu and Nakuru. The election which was held on February 29, attracted…
A distilling company wants the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KeBS) compelled to lift it’s suspension of the manufacturer and sale of their three products. The alcoholic products include Diamond Ice and Flying Horse. In a petition lodged before the High Court Judicial Review division on Wednesday, Patiala distillers want the court to restrain anyone under the agency’s instructions from engaging in any manner of disruption or obstructions of the manufacture of the said products in guise of the suspension. “….restraining the respondents by themselves, their agents or anyone else under its instructions from engaging in any manner of disruption or…
The owner of the deadly Embakasi gas plant which claimed seven lives and left over 300 injured was Wednesday released on bail. Principal Magistrate Dolphina Alego on Wednesday released David Kimathi on a cash bail of Sh500,000 or an alternative bond of Sh2 million. This is after Kimathi vehemently opposed the investigation officer’s application seeking 14 more days to detain him. “Are they asking for more days to keep him so that they can open more space for them to investigate?” defense lawyer Kirathe Wandungi posed. The investigating officer, Isaac Kariuki told the court that Kimathi had not been cooperative…
Members of the Law Society of Kenya will on February 29, 2024, decide who will steer their society for the next two years in a hotly contested poll. The Presidency of LSK has attracted five advocates who include Carolyne Kamende, Faith Odhiambo, Harriet Mboce, Kipkoech Bernard Ngetich, and Peter Wanyama. All contestants have sold their manifesto to the electorate and February 27, marked the last day for campaigns. Now, with bated breaths, they await to know their fate once the advocates vote for one of them to be the President of the LSK. At the steps of the Milimani Courts,…
A distiller behind products worth Sh6 million that were destroyed on February 26 by Nyeri residents denied claims that they are illicit brews. Patiala Distillers Limited read malice in the move by the locals led by a section of their leaders. The residents led by area lawmaker Eric Wamumbi and Nyeri senator Wahome Matinga raided the Deputy County Commissioners’s office and destroyed 34,000 bottles of beer worth Sh4 million confiscated by police in Karatina town on February 21. The manufacturers through their lawyer Danstan Omari on Tuesday wrote to the Independence Policing Oversight Authority urging them to speedily launch a…
US fugitive Kevin Kang’ethe has dropped his lawyers and decided to represent himself in court. He said his intentions to formally end his attorney – client relationship were “based on a bunch of reasons” that he disclosed. He alleged that he was never accorded the liberty to appoint his own lawyers and that those who were representing him in the previous appearances were provided by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI). He claimed that upon discussing his matter with him, they would relay the same to the officers at the DCI. “The attorneys I have are appointed by the DCI.…
A bail hearing for a man charged with killing socialite Starlet Wahu Mwangi will be on March 18, the High Court ruled on Monday. This is after the suspect John Matara through his lawyer Ayora Magati on February 9, asked the court to release him on favourable bail and bond terms pending hearing and determination of the case. Matara pleaded with Justice Kanyi Kimondo to consider the court’s unpredictable diary, workload and magnitude of the charge pressed against him to free him as it was likely to take a long time to conclude the matter. “The applicant/accused person has a…
Supreme Court judges led by Chief Justice Martha Koome now want their names struck out from a petition filed by the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) challenging the decision barring Senior Counsel Ahmednasir Abdullahi from appearing before the apex court. The judges said, in response filed to the case, that they enjoy immunity as granted to them by the Constitution and the Judicature Act and, therefore, cannot be sued in relation to decisions made while discharging their judicial duties. The Supreme Court judges further said the High Court has no powers to determine the case as it seeks to challenge…
A Milimani commercial court on February 22, stopped the burial of a 100-year-old man following a suit filed. This follows a tussle between his two wives Grace Rigiri and Sarah Kathambi who are first and second respectively, on where their late husband should be buried. Rigiri moved to court seeking orders stopping the removal and disposing of the body of the deceased Silas Kamuta Igweta from Umash Funeral Home. “Pending the hearing and determination of this Application, this Honorable Court be pleased to issue a temporary injunction, restraining the Defendants/Respondents by themselves, their servants, employees, agents, family members, relatives and/or…
A Kwale court was Monday told that Tabasamu School is operating illegally. When the matter came up for hearing, the court heard that the ministry of education on February 23, through sub county director of education Abraham Nyamwayi confirmed that the school was not registered with the ministry of education subject to the conditions of running a school. “We wish to confirm to you that the institution in question is not a duly registered school in accordance with the ministry’s regulations as it is yet to meet the minimum requirements to facilitate the process” read the letter. Sara Were, director…
A businessman Kelvin Onyango Otieno was Monday charged with making a document purporting to be genuinely issued by the ministry of mining. The document in question is a mining license said to have been issued to cargo care freight forwarders. The accused was arraigned before Senior Principal Magistrate Ben Mark Ekhubi where he denied several counts leveled against him. The prosecution told the court that the accused made a mineral dealer license which he purported to have been issued to Metropolitan express cargo by the ministry of mining. The accused was released on a cash bail of Ksh of Sh200,000…
Televangelist David Ngari alias Gakuyo was Monday charged with conspiracy to commit a felony and 12 counts of obtaining money by false pretence. He denied the charges before Principal Magistrate Benmark Ekhubi. Gakuyo who is charged alongside Ekeza Sacco is said to have between 2015 and 2018, conspired to steal Sh1,052, 746.094 from the sacco members. The court released him on a bond of Sh20 million with two sureties with an alternative of cash bail of Sh10 million with two contact persons. Under the charge of obtaining money through false pretence, the court heard that the accused persons obtained Sh553,050…
A court Friday detained a swimming pool attendant for seven days pending investigations into a case of negligence of official duty. This follows a drowning incident at the Visa Oshwal primary school in Parklands area, Nairobi on Tuesday, February 20 where a boy aged 11 died. His body was found in the pool the following day. The family said the Grade Two pupil went missing on Tuesday afternoon and the father only knew about it around 4 pm when he went to pick him up from school. Senior Principal Magistrate Geoffrey Onsarigo Friday directed Geoffrey Juma Opala to be detained…
A Magistrates court Friday declined a request by the police to hold Televangelist David Ngari Gakuyo for four days pending further probe into allegations of embezzling Sh1billion from members of his Ekeza Sacco. Milimani Magistrate Geoffrey Onsarigo instead ordered he be detained for one day. He also said since the investigations are at an advanced stage, Gakuyo be availed in court on Monday next week for plea taking. According to the police, they have been investigating Gakuyo over a case of conspiracy to commit a felony, obtaining money by pretenses, stealing, and money laundering involving over Sh1.3 billion Onsarigo considered…