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– High Court has declined to release five CORD MPs, detained over hate speech allegations, on bail
– Machakos Senator Johnson Muthama, Kitutu Masaba MP Timothy Bosire, Suna East MP Junet Mohammed, Busia Women Representative Florence Mutua and her Kilifi counterpart Aisha Jumwa were detained on Tuesday, June 14
– The five MPs will have to spend more nights in police cells until Friday, June 17, when their cases will be mentioned
Opposition legislators detained over hate speech allegations will have to spend more nights in police cells after court denied them bail.
High Court, Wednesday, June 15, ruled that the five MPs will have to remain inpolice custody until Friday, June 17 when their cases will be mentioned.
The detained lawmakers are: Machakos Senator Johnson Muthama, Kitutu Masaba MP Timothy Bosire, Suna East MP Junet Mohammed, Busia Women Representative Florence Mutua and her Kilifi counterpart Aisha Jumwa.
Machakos Senator Johnson Muthama and MPs Junet Mohamed, Timothy Bosire, Ferdinand Waititu and Moses Kuria in court on Tuesday, June 14, 2016. They were accused of hate speech. Image: Daily Nation
They had argued that the detention was a violation of their rights as they had been held for 18 hours without food, water and access to medication.
The lawmakers also said that they had not been allowed to contact their relatives.
The CORD politicians were detained at Gigiri, Muthaiga, and Pangani police stations alongside three Jubilee MPs on Tuesday, June 14.
Jubilee MPS who also face hate speech charges are: Gatundu South’s Kuria, Bahati’s Kimani Ngunjiri and Kabete’s Ferdinand Waititu.
CORD also wanted University of Nairobi student union leader Babu Owino released. He was arrested after threatening to ‘deal’ with Moses Kuria.
Scores of youth, led by by Bahati MP Kimani Ngunjiri, heckle Raila in Nakuru. Photo: Daily Nation
If found guilty of incitement to violence and disobedience of the law, the MPs will be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years.
The latest hate speech fiasco began with Kuria, who apparently called for the assassination of CORD leader Raila Odinga.
His counterpart, Waititu, is also said to have called for the forceful circumcision of members of the Luo community living in Nairobi.
On Saturday, June 11, Ngunjiri apparently wanted members of the Luos and other supporters of Raila evicted from Nakuru and its environs.
ODM MPs Junet Mohamed, Timothy Bosire and Aisha Jumwa during the Monday, June 13, press conference. Image: Facebook/ODM Alert
Their statements prompted ODM leaders; Junet, Bosire and Aisha Jumwa, to issue a joint statement threatening to mobilise their supporters to ‘defend themselves’ if Kuria, Waititu and Ngunjiri were not arrested.
CORD leaders once again accused police of lack of objectivity in handling the matter.
They questioned why it took several days to arrest the Jubilee MPs yet the opposition lawmakers were summoned just hours after issuing their statement.
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