Former Senator Joy Gwendo Released From Lang'ata Prison

Former Nominated Senator Joy Gwendo, was on Friday released from Lang'ata Women's Prison, on a Kshs 400,000 cash bail.

Last week, the ex-Senator was handed a two-year sentence without an option of appeal or paying fine, by Anti-corruption court Chief Magistrate, Douglas Ogoti.

However, High court Lady Justice Grace Ngenye, granted Gwendo bail after she sought a revision of her sentence. It takes a judicial review for the ruling of the magistrates' court to be overturned. 

She was sentenced to a two-year jail term, for failing to honour a plea bargain she entered with the state to pay Kshs1.7 Million.

Joy had earlier pleaded guilty to abuse of office charges after a plea bargaining agreement with DPP Noordin Haji.

Gwendo had been accused of issuing bad cheques to Kisumu East Cotton Growers Cooperative Society before entering into a plea bargain with the DPP. 

In January 2018, Gwendo was arrested by officers from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) after the DPP gave consent to a charge of stealing, issuing a bad cheque and abuse of office.

Gwendo, who was also facing four other charges among them abuse of office, is accused that on October 23, 2016, at Chiga Parish in Kisumu East, she used her position as a state officer to award herself property worth Kshs2.2 million of the cooperative society through Kivuli Development Initiatives account.

She was also facing two other counts of issuing bad cheques to Kisumu East Cotton Growers Cooperative Society.

Gwendo was alleged to have issued two cheques amounting to Kshs1.2 Million to the society on December 5, 2016, knowing that her account had insufficient funds.

 

She was further accused of forging a cheque of Kshs 200,000.

 

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