Former Murang’a governor Mwangi wa Iria was arraigned in court on Tuesday, where he pleaded not guilty to corruption charges.
In count one, the former governor is charged with conspiracy to commit an offence of corruption. It is alleged that between October 21, 2014, and June 19, 2017, being the governor of Murang’a County, wa Iria, along with nine other accused persons unlawfully contracted for the provision of media services awarded to Top Image Media Consultant Limited, amounting to over Ksh. 351 million.
Through his lawyers, the former governor asked to be released on bail, assuring that he would abide by all court directions. “We invite you to take judicial notice of political prosecutions and aggression against principles of multi-party,” the court was told.
The prosecution did not object to their release on bail. “In this particular case, we pray that you release the accused persons on bail terms guided by the bail and bond policy,” the prosecution submitted.
Wa Iria had presented himself at the Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (EACC) police station in Nairobi for statement recording and fingerprint taking about the ongoing probe into allegations of graft.
