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‘Sick’ Oscar Sudi skips court hearing in academic forgery case


Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi on Wednesday failed to attend court for the trial of a case in which he is accused of forging his academic certificates.

As a result, the controversial lawyer has been ordered to avail medical records that prove he is out of the country – in Turkey – for treatment.

Besides the medical records, Anti-Corruption court chief magistrate Felix Kombo also directed Sudi to avail travel documents to prove he had left the country.

This is the second time that Sudi, who’s been charged with forging education certificates so as to qualify to vie for a parliamentary seat, is skipping court sessions.

Defence lawyers presented some medical documents to showing the accused had to travel to receive urgent medical attention in Turkey.

The magistrate said the availing of the medical and travel documents by the MP will be a sure proof that he had travelled.

His lawyers Thomas Ruto, Collins Kiprono, and George Wajakoyah told Mr Kombo that the MP is not in the country hence his absence in court.

They passed on a confidential medical report purportedly from a Turkish doctor and several letters in a bid to secure an adjournment of the case scheduled for hearing May 18,2022.

However Kombo declined to adjourn the case questioning the authenticity of the medical documents.

The court was also asked to adjourn the case to enable Prof Wajackoya, a presidential candidate to engage in campaigns.

Instead of adjourning the case the magistrate directed the defence lawyers to avail additional medical documents to convince the court truly the MP is not in the country and then proceed with the case on May 19, 2022 in his absence.

While declining to grant an adjournment the magistrate observed that the matter has been in court for the last six years and was last heard on October 27, 2021.

Kombo noted that Sudi’s matter is one of those the Chief Justice Martha Koome wants to be concluded soonest as the prosecution was commenced in 2016.

The Prosecution has been ordered to avail the remaining five witnesses ahead of the May 19, 2022 hearing.

The prosecution was ready to proceed with three witnesses bonded.

On March 1, 2022, the MP also failed to appear in court claiming he had tested positive for Covid-19.

In this case the MP is facing three counts of forging his academic certificates.

Sudi is charged with presenting forged education certificates at the electoral commission offices when he sought nomination for the 2013 general election.

The prosecution said his Diploma Certificate in Business Management, allegedly issued by the Kenya Institute of Management, was forged.

He is also accused of forging his KCSE certificate purporting it to be a genuine document issued by the Kenya National Examination council.

The court heard that he committed the offence on January 31, 2013, at the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commision (IEBC) offices in Edoret.

The MP has denied the charges and is out on bond.