Former minister to be charged over false claims

By Willis Oketch

Voi, Kenya: Voi senior principal magistrate Samuel Wahome has ordered for the private prosecution of a former Cabinet minister for giving false information to the police.

Mr Eliud Mwamunga, a former powerful Lands minister in the Moi administration and former Voi MP is accused of falsely claiming that his cousin, Wilmot Mwadilo and a third person, had conspired to defraud Sagalla Ranch in Voi of Sh105 million.

Criminal Libel

Mwadilo’s lawyer, Gikandi Ngibuini, was given orders to charge Mwamunga for the crimes of giving false information to police and criminal libel which can land him 3 years in jail on conviction.

Wahome gave the instructions to prosecute on Friday after Mwamunga’s cousin, Mwadilo, successfully applied for orders to prosecute through his lawyer Ngibuini.

Mwadilo applied for a private prosecution after his complaint at Voi Police Station to have Mwamunga charged with giving false information against him was not acted upon.

Through his lawyer, Mwadilo told the magistrate that before raising the complaints against Mwamunga, directors of Sagalla Ranch Company in Voi where the former minister is chairman had agreed to sell a portion of the ranch.

Mwadilo said that after agreeing to sell the property, two companies signed a separate agreement to purchase 21,000 acres of the ranch.