Kangema magistrate, probation officer arrested with Sh150,000 bribe

 

The duo, Martin Kinyua Mutegi and Julius Irungu, were arrested on Tuesday evening at a restaurant within Kangema Township. [Courtesy, EACC]

A Senior Principal Magistrate attached to Kangema Law Courts and a Principal Probation Officer have been arrested for allegedly soliciting and receiving a Sh150,000 bribe from a litigant in exchange for influencing the outcome of a criminal case.

The duo, Martin Kinyua Mutegi and Julius Irungu, were arrested on Tuesday evening at a restaurant within Kangema Township following an operation mounted by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) detectives.

The graft agency, in a statement, said the arrest followed a complaint lodged by a businessman from Murang'a County, who reported that he had been convicted on July 2, 2026, in a criminal case for obtaining money by false pretences and was scheduled to be sentenced on July 22, 2026.

Preliminary investigations established that the probation officer approached the complainant, claiming to act on behalf of the magistrate, and demanded Sh170,000, assuring him that the money would secure a non-custodial sentence through a favourable probation recommendation rather than a custodial sentence.

“EACC mounted an operation that culminated in the arrest of the two suspects while receiving Sh150,000 from the complainant,” the statement read in part.

The two are currently in custody at the Nyeri Central Police Station and will be processed this morning at the EACC Central Regional Office.

EACC reiterated its commitment to tackling bribery at service delivery points and enhancing the quality of public services for all citizens.

The arrest of the magistrate comes even as lawyers through the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) stage a countrywide boycott against a section of judicial officers.

In a renewed confrontation that has plunged the Judiciary into crisis, LSK is accusing some judicial officers of using court orders to shield themselves from accountability while the targeted judges maintain they are entitled to constitutional protections and due process.

The boycott, set to begin this morning, marks the most aggressive action taken by Kenyan lawyers against serving judges and comes amid mounting pressure on Justice Koome, who also chairs the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).

The latest confrontation escalated on Monday evening after LSK President Charles Kanjama released a list of 14 judges and judicial officers whose courts advocates have been directed to boycott indefinitely.

Kanjama said the boycott would remain in force until court orders stopping actions by the JSC, Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) are lifted.

“The boycott will continue indefinitely until the respective court orders restraining the actions of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), and/or the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) are set aside,” Kanjama said.

The targeted boycott divided the affected judicial officers into two categories.