Moi’s Bridge pastor denies selling illegal brew
A prominent priest from Moi’s Bridge Township found in possession of illicit brew has been arraigned before an Eldoret court.
Pastor Isaac Tenge appeared before Senior Resident Magistrate Rosemary Onkoba.
The court heard that on September 24, 2023, he was found in possession of 70 liters of chang’aa, an illicit brew, at his Moi’s Bridge home in Soy sub-county, Uasin Gishu County.
Pastor Tenge denied the charge and the court handed him temporary freedom courtesy of a Sh100,000 bond with an alternative Sh50,000 cash bail.
However, the servant of God was unable to raise the bond as he pleaded with the court to reduce it to at least Sh5,000 claiming that the church is struggling owing to hard economic times facing its members.
Documents in court indicate he is a pastor at New Jerusalem church in Moi’sBridge township.
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Ironically none of the church members were in court to stand in solidarity with their pastor apart from his wife, two sons, and a daughter.
After he failed to raise the bond he was remanded at Eldoret prison.
The clergy was quickly whisked away by prison warden officers into a prison bus and driven to Eldoret GK remand prison alongside other suspects.
Earlier on, the pastor brought to the attention of the court the injuries he sustained on his body by the arresting officers as he pleaded for urgent medical attention.
“Your honor police officers beat my wife, injuring her hands seriously before turning to me by hitting my right hand, thus subjecting me to serious injuries. I need urgent medical attention likewise to my wife,” pleaded the pastor.
While making her ruling on the case, the Magistrate assured the cleric to be patient noting that his grievances would be addressed by the state counsel.
The pastor who was unrepresented, pleaded not guilty to the charge
He was arrested by a team of police officers attached to Moi’s Bridge police station following a crackdown to eradicate illicit brew in the region.
The officers stormed his homestead following a tip-off from members of the public and seized the illicit brew in a puzzling drama that left scores of his church followers in a state of shock and disbelief.
The case will be mentioned on October 5, 2023.