Bomet Governor Hillary Barchok has been handed a temporary reprieve after he was released on a Ksh5 million cash bail and several tough conditions after spending the night at a police station in Kilimani.
Barchok pleaded not guilty to graft-related charges at the Milimani Anti-Graft Court, with presiding Magistrate Zipporah Gichana setting bail terms at a Ksh15 million bond or a Ksh5 million cash bail.
The magistrate noted that although the prosecution did not oppose the bail, the charges laid against the county boss were serious and warranted strict conditions.
“The accused persons are directed not to contact or interfere with prosecution witnesses either directly or through proxies,” the magistrate ordered.
Barchok was charged with seven counts ranging from conflict of interest to money laundering in connection with alleged irregular payments linked to county government contracts.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) told the court that the governor unlawfully acquired an indirect private interest between November 14 2019 and March 10 2021.
According to the DPP, the payments were tied to contracts awarded by the Bomet County Government to a construction company attached to Barchok. Prosecution
The governor was further charged with four counts of using proceeds of crime, with prosecution alleging he transacted sums of Ksh300,000, Ksh314,000, Ksh100,000, and Ksh750,000 from his Bank account to another account between March 15 and March 21.
Several individuals, who were co-accused alongside Governor Barchok, were also each granted Ksh5 million bond or Ksh2 million cash bail under similar terms.
Magistrate Gichana directed all the accused to surrender their passports to the court within seven days, as they were barred from leaving the country without prior court approval.
In addition, the governor and his co-accused were prohibited from publicly speaking about the case during the trial period.
Barchok's legal team, led by Lawyer Issa Mansur, initially tried to urge the court to grant lenient bail terms, arguing that the governor was fully cooperative with authorities and did not pose a risk.
In a similar case, former Bungoma Governor Wycliffe Wangamati was also released on Tuesday by the Milimani Anti-Graft Court on a bond of Ksh5 million.
He was arraigned at the court on graft allegations and has been ordered to pay the bond or a cash bail of Ksh1.5 million.
