Suspended Kangema Magistrate Martin Kinyua Mutegi has been charged with receiving a Sh150,000 bribe to influence the sentence of a convicted businessman.
He appeared before Milimani Anti-Corruption Court Chief Magistrate Harrison Barasa on Monday where he pleaded not guilty to two corruption charges of requesting a Sh170,000 bribe and receiving a Sh150,000 bribe.
Mutegi was released on a Sh400,000 cash bail or an alternative bond of Sh800,000 after the court allowed him to remain out of custody pending the hearing and determination of the case.
As part of his bail terms, the suspended magistrate was ordered not to interfere, directly or indirectly, with any prosecution witness during the pendency of his trial.
Mutegi answered to the charges after Magistrate Barasa dismissed his objection to taking plea, paving the way for the prosecution to proceed with the corruption case.
The defence had sought to have the plea-taking deferred pending proceedings before the High Court challenging his prosecution.
However, Barasa found that there was no court order presented before him stopping or staying the criminal proceedings against Mutegi.
The court therefore directed Mutegi to answer to the charges.
According to the charge sheet, Mutegi is accused of requesting a financial advantage of Sh170,000 between July 16 and July 21, 2026 from businessman Peter Njihia Njuguna through Kangema Law Courts Principal Probation Officer Julius Irungu Njogu.
The money was allegedly sought in exchange for Mutegi delivering a favourable sentence to a convicted businessman who was due to appear before him for sentencing in Kangema Chief Magistrate's Criminal Case No. E645 of 2024.
In the second count, Mutegi is accused of receiving Sh150,000 on July 21, 2026, through Njogu, as part of the alleged bribery scheme.
The prosecution alleges that the money was intended to influence the sentence that Mutegi would impose on the convicted businessman.
The charges relate to alleged offences committed between July 16 and July 21, 2026, at Kangema Township in Murang'a County.
The case arose from a complaint lodged by the businessman, who reported that Njogu had approached him claiming to act on behalf of Mutegi and demanded Sh170,000.
The money was allegedly required to facilitate a favourable probation report and secure a sentence that would spare the businessman a custodial term.
Following the complaint, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) mounted a sting operation targeting the alleged transaction.
Mutegi and Njogu were subsequently arrested on July 21, 2026, at a restaurant in Kangema Township after allegedly receiving Sh150,000 from the complainant.
The magistrate's arrest triggered disciplinary action within the Judiciary.
Chief Justice Martha Koome, in her capacity as chairperson of the Judicial Service Commission, suspended Mutegi on July 22 and initiated disciplinary proceedings against him under the Judicial Service Act.
Mutegi had earlier failed to appear before the Anti-Corruption Court for plea-taking, with his lawyers informing the court that he was unwell and admitted to hospital.
The court subsequently summoned him to appear and take plea.
His co-accused, Julius Irungu Njogu, the Kangema Law Courts Principal Probation Officer, had already been arraigned and pleaded not guilty to two counts of receiving a bribe.
Njogu was released on a Sh400,000 cash bail or an alternative bond of Sh800,000.
The case will be mentioned on September 7, 2026.
