Rashid Echesa Set Free

Rashid Echesa, the former Sports Cabinet Secretary at the centre of a Ksh39.5bn graft case has been granted bail.

Magistrate Kennedy Cheruiyot ruled that the former CS and three other suspects will be released on a Ksh 1 Million cash bail and 3 million bond each.

This is in spite of the prosecution’s prayer that the four should be denied bail on grounds that they will interfere with witnesses and evidence.

Former Sports CS Rashid Echesa

Echesa and his three co-accused appeared before a magistrate’s court in Milimani, Nairobi, on Monday, for the offence of committing fraud in a fake arms deal.

The Former CS together with Daniel Otieno, Clifford Okoth and Kennedy Oyoo are facing charges for conspiring to commit a felony, making a document without authority, obtaining money by false pretence, attempting to commit a felony and altering a false document.

The four accused persons pleaded not guilty to the offence and the case will be heard in on March 3, 2020.

The lawyers representing Echesa claimed that the case was a political witch-hunt.

The multibillion fraud that the accused is involved in has been linked to the office of the deputy president, William Ruto.

Since the Director of Criminal Investigations hinted that the criminal activity was committed at Ruto’s Harambee Annex office, political leaders have called for a thorough probe.

Ruto’s political opponents have dared him to resign from office to allow the DCI to do investigations.

However, Ruto has distanced himself from the allegations saying it is a political game.

Other top offices that have been conjoined in the case is the Ministry of Defence which is under Rachael Omamo.

Echesa was arrested on February 13, after which he was taken to the DCI headquarters for questioning.

On Friday morning, he was arraigned at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport court where the magistrate compelled him to remain in police custody.

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