Former Laikipia North Member of Parliament (MP) Mathew Lempurkulel has been released on a cash bail of Kshs100, 000.
Lempurkulel was sentenced to jail for one year for slapping the current Laikipia North MP Sarah Korere in 2016 at Harambee house in Nairobi.
Judge Justus Bwonwong’a of the High Court’s Criminal Division has now ordered that the ex- MP be freed on bail pending the hearing and determination of his appeal.
Lempurkulel, who had already spent 45 days in jail at Kamiti Maximum Prison, was sentenced without an alternative of a fine on November 5.
According to the Milimani Law Courts senior principal magistrate Hellen Onkwani , Lempurkulel was given the punishment to teach a lesson to others who have such behaviors.
“I have also considered the fact that the accused person is a first offender but I note that the accused is a leader who should be a good example to others. I hereby proceed to sentence the accused person to serve 1-year imprisonment,” the magistrate ruled.
The former MP, through his lawyer, filed an application challenging the ruling. He claimed that the magistrate had been influenced to send him to jail without an alternative of a fine.
In a letter written to the Chief Justice Martha Koome, his lawyers claimed that the magistrate had demanded for a bribe from the former MP to be set free which he was unable to give.
“We cannot rule out the fact that money changed hands between the above mentioned judicial officer and the said operatives as we are aware that in or around August 2021 the said Hon. Onkwani, solicited a bribe of Kenya Shillings One Million (Ksh 1,000,000) from our client, Lempurkel, which bribe our client was unable and unwilling to give,” part of the letter read.
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