Former Amukura Central Member of the County Assembly Moses Pius Ouma alias Mose Baaba and three others were today charged in Malaba Court for malicious damage to property during last week’s anti-tax protests.
The accused appeared before Malaba Principal Magistrate Ocharo Momanyi where they denied the charge.
Mose Baaba, Francis Munyasi, Peter Elungata, and Stephen Edolore Emusala also denied the second charge of causing harm to St Jacob’s Kaliwa Secondary School driver, Evans Okwara.
The four were released on a cash-bail of Sh5000 each and were directed to appear in court for the hearing on July 3.
They were arrested on June 21, 2024, by security personnel at Kaliwa village, Kaliwa location in Teso Central within Busia County after they engaged the law enforcers in running battles.
Particulars of the charges state that jointly with others not before the court, the four willfully and unlawfully damaged a school bus rear windscreen of motor vehicle registration number KCH988Q Isuzu FRR valued at Sh10,000 the property of St Jacob’s Kaliwa Secondary School.
Okwara, who claimed he suffered bodily harm at the hands of the four accused, withdrew the case, telling the Magistrate he did it out of his own volition. The Magistrate withdrew the count.
St Joseph’s Kaliwa Secondary School Board of Management deputy vice chair Anthony Okedi said he chaired a meeting on Monday where the Board resolved to withdraw the case with the board also taking the task of repairing the damaged rear windscreen of the school bus.
However, the magistrate sighted some anomalies in the letter, including lack of specifics and the signature of the School Principal, who is a signatory of the minutes. He said the matter will come up for mention again next week Wednesday, July 3, 2024.
The four are alleged to have committed the offence on Friday last week during protests against Teso South Member of Parliament Mary Emaase for voting in favour of the controversial Finance Bill against their wish. The four were detained at Adungosi Police station.
They were later released at 8pm the same day through the intervention of Nairobi County Assembly Majority Leader Peter Imwatok (ODM) who paid the cash bail of Sh5,000 each.
– By Absalom Namwalo / KNA
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