‘Focus on preparing water-tight cases instead of pursuing newspaper headlines’ Babu Owino tells DPP

Embakasi East MP Babu Owino has come out to speak against rulings in court that find ordinary Kenyans answering to unreasonable terms.

The legislator brought about this after Milimani Anti-Corruption Court slapped embattled Samburu Governor Moses Lenolkulal with a KSh 100 million cash bail.

According to Babu, the ruling by presiding judge Douglas Ogoti was prejudicial and presumes guilt of the accused governor even before trial proceedings have even began.

Babu expressed fear such bail terms and conditions may soon become commonplace in Kenyan courts if the judges do not embrace sobriety during hearing of cases.

“My primary concern is what such a ruling will mean for the ordinary Kenyan who may find themselves answering to charges of stealing a chicken, or loitering in town and are slapped with similar unreasonable terms,” he said in a post on Wednesday, April 3.

Lenolkulal was arrested on the morning of Tuesday, April 2, alongside his deputy Julius Leseeto and 11 other county officers over a fuel supply scam whose KSh 84 million tender was awarded to Oryx Service Station which the governor allegedly owns.

The county boss was accused of conspiracy to commit an offence of corruption, abuse of office, conflict of interest and unlawful acquisition of public property all of which he denied.

Justice Ogoti directed the politician be freed on a cash bail of KSh 100 million or a KSh 150 million bond.

He was also ordered not to visit his office pending ruling on application to bar him from gaining access to the county office for two years.