Evans Ondari, a taxi driver, was on Wednesday arraigned at the Milimani Law Courts for illegally trafficking 22 women in the country.
He was accused of committing the offence at Tasia, in Nairobi’s Embakasi area.
Reports from The Standard indicate that Ondari is believed to have smuggled 19 Ugandan women and 3 Burundians.
The accused, who had no lawyer to represent him, pleaded not guilty and prosecutors did not object to his release on bond.
There was a moment of drama when Ondari’s brother stormed the court demanding to be heard by Principal Magistrate Kennedy Cheruiyot.
“Go to the court and consult with the accused and see how you can hire a lawyer because the charges before me are very serious,” the Magistrate stated.
Ondari told the court he had not communicated to his family since his mobile phone had been confiscated.
However, his application to have his phone back was denied, with the state prosecutor stating the phone was an exhibit in the case.
An immigration department prosecutor, Mui Mulelo, asked the court to have the matter heard as soon as possible.
“Your honor, we do not have enough facilities to keep this kind of people, it's strenuous on us, we apply that this matter is heard as early as tomorrow so that we can release them,” he requested.
The accused was released on a Ksh5 million bond with an alternative of Ksh2 million cash bond.
