Rashid Echesa Released

Former Sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa in the dock at the Milimani Law Courts on Monday, February 17
Former Sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa at the Milimani Law Courts on Monday, February 17, 2020
Daily Nation

Update: Tuesday, March 9, 2021: Former Sports CS Rashid Echesa has been released.

Echesa was granted a Ksh1 million cash bail or a Ksh1 million surety bond by a Kiambu court.

The case to be mentioned on April 9, 2021.


Friday, March 5, 2021: Former Sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa has been arrested.

Echesa was arrested at 5 p.m. on Friday, March 5 at his home in Shibale, Mumias Central in Kakamega County.

The politician was apprehended after he was captured on video slapping an IEBC official in Matungu on March 4, 2021.


The Inspector general of police Hillary Mutyambai has issued an order on former Sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa.

"The IG has further directed Hon. Rashid Echesa who is on the run after assaulting an election officer to surrender to the nearest police station by 1:00pm this afternoon otherwise he will be treated as an armed and dangerous criminal," police spokesman Charles Owino stated on behalf of IG Mutyambai.

Inspector General Hillary Mutyambai in December 2020
Inspector General Hillary Mutyambai in December 2020
Twitter

The former CS is believed to be on the run following an incident where he was filmed slapping an election official in Matungu, during the just concluded by-elections. Police had raided his home at Shibale area in Mumias West but he is still at large.

"It is a very unfortunate incident and IEBC is calling on the security team on the ground to have the gentleman apprehended because the staff are very important," said Chebukati. 

Echesa was caught on camera slapping an IEBC agent Peter Okura accusing him of barring their UDA agent from witnessing the voting at Bulonga polling station in Matungu.

“Our agents are outside the polling station. You cannot chase our agents outside. Why are you chasing them outside? Uliambiwa by who (who told you)?” poses Echesa before slapping the election official.

The IG has also directed the police commanders of jurisdictions where by-elections were carried out yesterday to arraign and charge the four leaders who were arrested yesterday.

Mutyambai further instructed the Firearm Licensing Board to suspend firearm licenses held by the said political leaders who misused their firearms.

The political leaders were instructed to surrender the firearms to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Headquarters with immediate effect for ballistic examination.

The IG has issued a warning to all leaders that the police force will not tolerate misconduct and stern action will be taken against them.

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A by-election agent in Matungu, Kakamega who was accused of bribing voters on Thursday, March 4, 2021
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