Families of those accused of looting and vandalizing the Timba XO Club, owned by Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi, are urgently appealing for his intervention.
The suspects, who were involved in the incident during anti-Finance Bill protests in Eldoret two months ago, are currently held at Eldoret GK Remand Prison. The families are pleading with Sudi to honor his earlier promise to withdraw the charges.
The 11 suspects, including students from various universities and tertiary institutions, are among the 16 charged in connection with the June 25 incident.
Five suspects have already been released after their families managed to provide the necessary surety. The remaining suspects remain in custody due to their inability to meet the Sh300,000 bond set by the court.
The case is scheduled for mention on August 28, as directed by Presiding Magistrate Kesse Cheronoh.
James Kiprotich, the father of one of the detained individuals, has urged MP Sudi to forgive the accused.
“We are kindly asking Oscar Sudi to forgive our children who were involved in the unfortunate incident where his Club was looted and destroyed by a group of youth during the anti-Finance Bill protests,” Kiprotich said.
He highlighted the dire financial situation of the families, which has made it impossible for them to raise the bond amount.
Brian Luta, a resident, expressed frustration over the delays and lack of progress.
“We are asking Oscar Sudi to please have mercy on us. We have been coming here every day after work but we are still taken in circles,” Luta lamented.
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Christopher Barno echoed these sentiments, noting repeated visits to court with no resolution.
“We have come to court now for the fourth time without success. We are always told to return in the afternoon or evening,” Barno said.
Mercy Chebet, whose brother is among the detained suspects, criticized Sudi for not following through on his public statement.
“Sudi went to the media and said that he had forgiven our loved ones. If indeed he forgave them, we are asking him to do so (secure their release) and please forgive us if we wronged him,” Chebet appealed.
In June, footage captured a group of youth damaging the Timba XO Club during nationwide protests. MP Sudi had publicly declared his forgiveness for the suspects shortly after the incident.
“Timba XO, Timba Club and everything I spent about Sh250 million on, it is better to lose that than to kill people,” Sudi stated at the time. He further urged those responsible to return the stolen equipment, noting that some items, like speakers, were rendered unusable.
The incident resulted in significant losses, with Sudi revealing that the destruction amounted to Sh48 million and led to job losses for over 200 workers at the club.
The suspects face charges of theft, vandalism, and property destruction, with the case unfolding amid ongoing public and legal scrutiny.
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