Mutura blames ‘deep state’ for arrest
Nairobi county speaker Benson Mutura has linked his arrest and prosecution to his move to ditch President Uhuru Kenyatta for Deputy President William Ruto.
Through his lawyer Dancan Okach, Mutura told Nairobi Senior Principal Magistrate Esther Kimilu that the graft-related charges against him were politically motivated.
“If you pass by the gates of the Deputy President’s office in Karen you are a subject of prosecution,” he said.
Mutura also asked the court to defer plea taking based on orders issued by the High court on April 21 stopping any arrest and pursuing the complaint pending the hearing of the suit at the constitutional court.
However, the prosecuting counsel Anderson Gikunda objected to the application to defer the plea claiming the high court orders by Justice Anthony Mrima does not stop the prosecution of the legislator.
“I have carefully looked at the High Court order and there is no stay preventing this honourable court from prosecuting the accused,” said Gikunda.
The court appearance marks what has been an eventful week for Mutura who survived an arrest attempt at his office by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on Thursday.