Magistrate on bribery charge

Kericho magistrate Judith Nyakol Achieng and clerk Robert Cheruiyot in a Nakuru court on September 3, 2015 where they denied receiving a Sh20,000 bribe to give an accused man a favourable ruling. They were released on a Sh50,000 bond or an alternative cash bail of Sh20,000. PHOTO | SULEIMAN MBATIAH | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Court told that the judiciary employees unlawfully received inducement to rule in favour of Mr Wilson Yegon.
A Kericho magistrate and court clerk were on Thursday charged with soliciting and receiving a bribe.
A Nakuru court was told that Ms Judith Nyakol Achieng and court clerk Robert Cheruiyot solicited a Sh20,000 bribe from Mr Wilson Yegon at the Kericho Law Courts.
The court was told that the judiciary employees unlawfully received inducement to rule in favour of Mr Wilson Yegon.
Mr Yegon had been accused of running a bar at the Brooke Trading Centre without a licence.
The two denied committing the offence and were each released on a Sh50,000 bond or an alternative cash bail of Sh20,000.
The prosecutor, Mr Hillary Songoyo, told the court that the magistrate and the clerk were arrested by Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission detectives within the Kericho court premises.
Defence lawyers David Mong’eri and Lawrence Karanja sought to be supplied with witness statements and documents, including audio recordings intended to be used as evidence.
The lawyers also requested the court to order the investigating officers to release the magistrate’s official laptop and identity card that they said were confiscated during her arrest.
They said the laptop contained private documents, undelivered rulings and court proceedings.
However, Mr Songoyo maintained that the laptop and the card were part of the exhibits and would be released once investigations were over.
The court ordered the release of the laptop and ID card before the case is mentioned on October 2.