Court postpones Kethi’s trial to June

By Fred Makana

NAIROBI, KENYA: The trial of lawyer Kethi Kilonzo was on Wednesday forced to adjourn after her defence claimed that they were supplied with a 400-page document at the last minute.

Kethi’s lawyer Julie Soweto informed court that they were given the document on Tuesday evening and they have not gone through it to see its contents.

Ms Soweto requested the court to give the defence more time to compare the documents they have already been supplied with against the list given by the prosecution. Ms Soweto further alleged that out of the 31 exhibits the prosecution intends to rely on they have only been supplied with only one document.

“It is important that the court acknowledges that we have only recieved one document out the 31 documents that the prosecution listed as evidence,” Ms Soweto argued.

She requested that the trial be adjourned to enable the defence to prepare adequately for the trial. “We require enough time to go through prosecution’s documents so as not to be caught off gaurd during the trial,” she stated.

However State Counsel Mary Wang’ele said the prosecution was not opposed to the defence’s application. Chief Magistrate Hannah Ndungu directed the trial to commence for three consecutive days starting June24.

Ms Kilonzo’s lead counsel Fred Ojiambo on Tuesday  called for the termination of the charges she is facing on grounds that the defence has not been supplied with all the necessary documents required before the trial commences.

He alleged that his client was being subjected to a trial by ambush. However chief Magistrate Hannah Ndungu declined to compel the prosecution to produce all the documents sought by the defence and directed that the trial commences immediately.

Ms Kilonzo is accused of forging a voter's card and altering false documents in a ruling that was given by an IEBC tribunal. She was barred from vying for the Makueni senate seat on the basis that she was not a registered voter. Together with  IEBC’s manager for electoral planning and logistics, Mr Godfrey Ninito Lemiso, the two are facing four counts of stealing, handling stolen goods, uttering a false document and neglect of official duty.