The court’s decision to grant Samburu Governor Moses Kasaine Lenolkulal Sh100 million bail with an alternative bond of Sh150 million after he denied Sh84 million graft charges has elicited mixed reactions among Kenyans.
The court also barred Lenolkulal from accessing the Samburu county government offices until the case is heard and determined.
The move has overly been regarded as historic owing to the courts previous bail terms on similar cases.
Hours after the declaration, Governor Lenolkulal through his lawyer Paul Nyamodi, applied for a review of the bail amount at the High Court Anti Corruption Division on Wednesday morning.
The governor termed the bail outrageous and unprecedented.
“My Lord the accused is greatly aggrieved by the said terms which are completely outrageous and unprecedented. It goes against the bail and bond policy, specifically that the bond amount should not be excessive and should not be greater than necessary to guarantee that the accused persons will appear in court,” lawyer Nyamodi told the court.
Some Kenyans have since taken to social media to praise the courts while others support Lenolkulal’s assertion that the bail terms are outrageous.
City lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi wrote: “When a court of law sets bail at Ksh100 million for Samburu Governor, it shows 2 things. 1.That the magistrates is plainly incompetent and must be removed from office or 2. He is playing to the public gallery and is thus not exercising decisional independence…@lawsocietykenya.”
Blogger Rober Alai concurred with the Senior Counsel saying, “Giving suspects OUTRAGEOUS bail terms doesn’t fight corruption. Ksh. 100 million bail terms for a suspect doesn’t fight corruption when high profile suspects are in the convoy of top leaders.”
Embakasi East Member of Parliament Babu Owino also weighed in on the issue.
A Section of Kenyans felt the bail terms were justified.
Here’s what they said.
The governor was arraigned in Milimani Law Courts before Anti-Corruption Court Chief Magistrate Douglas Ogoti where he was charged with four counts of abuse of office and conflict of interest leading to the loss of Sh84.6 million public funds.
He is accused of trading with the county through Oryx petrol station leading to payment amounting to Sh84, 695,996.
“Between March 27, 2013 and March 25, 2019, at Samburu County, being the Governor of Samburu County Government, you used your office to improperly confer upon yourself a benefit of Ksh.84,695,996.55 through Oryx Service Station, a business entity owned by yourself, through the supply of fuel to Samburu County Government,” read the charge sheet.