Former Laikipia North Member of Parliament, Matthew Lempurkel, has been sentenced to one year in jail for slapping his colleague and successor, Sarah Korere.
Lempurkel was found guilty of assault, causing actual bodily harm, contrary to Section 251 of the Penal Code. The lawmaker was sentenced to one year in jail with no option of a fine.
While delivering the judgment, Senior Principal Magistrate, Hellen Onkwani, considered that Lempurkel was a first time offender.
She observed that there had been a rise in cases of assault in the country and stressed that brutality against women must be wiped out in the society.
“I note from the mitigation record that the accused is a leader who needs to be a good example to others so I proceed to sentence the accused person serve one year imprisonment," Justice Onkwani ruled.
The former MP was convicted after the court ruled that the Prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt the assault charges against him.
In addition, the court ruled Lempurkel had a right to appeal within 14 days.
Through his lawyer James Orengo, Lempurkel claimed that a CCTV footage did not capture the occurrence of the fateful day.
Howver, the magistrate dismissed the allegation by the defence saying that it is on record that the boardroom where the offence was committed had no CCTV.
“The CCTV was at the corridor but the offence was committed in the boardroom and not in the corridor and such the said CCTV would have been immaterial consideration of this case,” Onkwani said.
Lempurkel was accused of slapping and kicking Korere on the left side of her abdomen on November 21, 2016.
He was picked outside Parliament buildings a day later and taken to the Kileleshwa Police Station.
Through his advocate, however, the former MP objected saying the allegations were malicious and brought to court in bad faith in a bid to humiliate and intimidate him.
He would later be released on a Ksh100,000 cash bail or a bond of Ksh200,000 with a surety of a similar amount as the matter proceeded to full hearing.
