Rangwe MP faces forgery charges

By PAMELA   CHEPKEMEI and PAUL MUTUA

Rangwe Member of Parliament George Oner will today appear in court to answer charges of forgery.

He is accused of allegedly forging a signature of an official of the Kenya Revenue Authority.

The charges were filed at the Nairobi Chief Magistrate’s court on November 7 but the legislator did not appear.

His lawyer instead made an application to have the taking of plea deferred until today.

The MP is accused of making a document cancelling a charge on a parcel of land with intent to defraud city businessman Benson Ritho Mureithi.

He had been contracted to act as Ritho’s surveyor to sub-divide the land situated in Embakasi.

Police allege that Oner in 2008, with intent to defraud Ritho, forged the signature of John Orioro on a KRA document cancelling a charge on a parcel of land in Embakasi.

The MP is further accused of committing fraud on sale or mortgage of the property owned by Ritho.

He allegedly induced Jacinta Kingi to accept a sale agreement for four sub-divided plots when he knew he had no capacity to sell the plots to her.

He committed the alleged offence on October 7, 2009,  in Nairobi.

Meanwhile, the hearing of an assault case involving Kitui Rural MP Charles Nyamai and his former Constituency Development Fund manager Benjamin Mwanzia has been postponed to February 17, next year.

Prosecution led by Joseph Mutia told the court yesterday that they intended to consolidate the two separate charges against the accused.

They are accused of assaulting Augustine Kithinzi Makau at Kiseuni in Lower Yatta district on January 17.