A Lamu MCA is likely to lose his seat after he was found guilty of planning and attempting to break out three convicted drug traffickers from prison.
Mkomani Ward MCA Yahya Ahmed Shee was detained at Hindi GK Prison in Lamu West ahead of being arraigned in court for sentencing.
He was charged with six counts, including forcefully attempting to break free one of the convicts who was sentenced to 20 years for drug peddling on June 2, 2017.
The second and third counts were trying to break out the two other convicts who had been jailed for 10 years and 5 years respectively.
Shee's fourth charge was obstructing police and tampering with evidence. The fifth and sixth were resisting arrest and participating in illegal riots.
Lamu Principal Magistrate Allan Temba will make a ruling on Tuesday, April 6 after carefully reviewing exhibits tabled by the prosecution and the evidence by witnesses.
"The court found that the prosecution had adduced evidence beyond reasonable doubt that the accused committed the offences," Temba said.
MCA Shee faces the risk of losing his seat if sentenced to serve a term of more than six months in prison. The office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Noordin Haji is also expected to present files of the MCA's previous convictions.
The DPPs office lauded the conviction of the MCA and said that it would present its final submission on the sentencing day.
In December 2020, Haji's office announced that it recorded a 92 percent increase in conviction rates. This was aligned with the introduction of the Decision to Charge and Automated Case Management System.
The digital restructure eased the role of prosecutors by modernising the criminal justice system.
We are delighted to launch the guidelines on the Decision to Charge and Automated Case Management System. We are reshaping ODPP to be Kenya's 21st Century prosecution service you deserve.
“The traditional approach to litigation must change. We must proactively take up the challenge to modernize our criminal justice system so that it is responsive to the needs of the community and meets international best practices,” Haji's office said.
