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Rashid Echesa freed on Sh1m cash bail in Matungu assault case
Former Sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa at the Kiambu Law Courts on March 9, 2021 over the assault of an IEBC official in Matungu Constituency, Kakamega County.
What you need to know:
- The former Sports Cabinet Secretary was taken back to Gigiri Police Station as he was unable to immediately secure his release.
Former Sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa, who is accused of assaulting an electoral commission official in Matungu, was on Tuesday released on a cash bail of Sh1 million.
Kiambu Chief Magistrate Patricia Gichohi gave Mr Echesa the option of a Sh1 million surety bond and said the case will be mentioned on April 9.
Mr Echesa spent Monday night at Gigiri Police Station ahead of the ruling on his release from custody.
He had been in police custody since last week, when he was arrested on the accusation of assaulting an official of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
The offence allegedly took place at the Bulonga Primary School polling station during the by-election in Matungu Constituency, Kakamega County, on March 4, a day marred by chaos and violence.
The IEBC official was identified as Presiding Officer Peter Juma Okula Khatetethe.
After a clip of the assault was shared widely on social media, Mr Echesa was arrested on March 5.
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In court on Tuesday, the magistrate noted the seriousness of the charges Mr Echesa is facing and that violence is a threat to democracy at a polling station as it interferes with the voting process.
Ms Gichohi also noted that violence undermines the basic tenets of the democratic right to vote.
Regarding the decision to release the accused, she said the prosecution failed to prove how he will interfere with witnesses since no threat has been reported so far.
“I find the detention of the respondent unjustified,” she said.
Ms Gichohi, however, ordered the ex-CS to report to the DCI headquarters every Monday until April 9 and not to interfere with witnesses in the case.
The prosecution had filed a miscellaneous application for the politician's detention for seven days, for it to conclude its investigations into the matter.
Investigating officer Misheck Kagera, of the Serious Crimes Unit of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), swore an affidavit saying Mr Echesa is a habitual offender who is likely to intimidate witnesses if released.
Lawyer Cliff Ombeta, for the former CS, opposed the application, saying the allegations against his client were trumped up and aimed at discrediting him.
Mr Echesa was taken back to Gigiri Police Station as he was unable to immediately secure his release.
