Lawyer Kethi Kilonzo expected in court as fraud case kicks off

Senator James Orengo, MP Daniel Maanzo and lawyer Kethi Kilonzo (centre) at CID headquarters Monday. [PHOTO: BEVERLINE MUSILI/STANDARD]

By CYRUS OMBATI and GEOFFREY MOSOKU

KENYA: Lawyer Kethi Kilonzo is on Tuesday expected to take plea over allegations of fraud and possession of a stolen voter registration slip.

Kethi presented herself before CID officials on Monday where she had her fingerprints taken. She was further taken through the formal procedures necessary before she takes plea.

She was in the company of Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana, Siaya Senator James Orengo and her lawyer Julie Soweto. “We were here following last week’s court order, which required Kethi to come for formal preparation for her to appear in court,” said Orengo. CID officers said Kethi and a custodian of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Geoffrey Lemiso, who was also there, were released on a free bond pending appearance in court today.

At the same time, the University of Nairobi said Kethi is yet to finish her Masters degree in law.

Vice-chancellor George Magoha said in a letter dated August 12 that Kethi was admitted to the university’s School of Law to pursue postgraduate studies leading to the degree of Masters in Law in the 2008/2009 academic year.

Re-sit paper

“Upon failing to satisfy the examiners and pursuant to her own request for remark in one paper GPR 602 - Legal Research and Methodology, the student was advised to re-sit the paper in the examination scheduled for February 2012.

“Ms Kilonzo is yet to re-sit the paper and as such continues to be a student,” says part of the letter to Alphonse Mutinda and Co Advocates.

High Court Judge Lydia Achode ordered Kethi to present herself at the CID for preparations of her charges.

She had refused to record a statement when she appeared before detectives last month.

Kethi is accused of lying about her voter status and the process that led to her getting a registration slip.

Slip’s code

Police had established Kethi’s slip showed that she was registered in 2011, more than a year before Biometric Voter Registration kicked off.

The document showed she registered at NCC Social Hall in Karen, but IEBC records show that the slip’s code belongs to St Mary School in Karen and that it also bears details of a slip that was not in distribution in Nairobi. Kethi further confessed to the court that she did not vote in March 4 General Election despite saying that she had in an interview with a local television station.

Under the Penal Code, forging any judicial or official document or presenting it officially if proven attracts up to seven years imprisonment.

Lemiso, who has been questioned several times, claims he does not know how the book disappeared.