The prosecution withdrew a case against 15 youth who were facing charges for disrupting a Kenya Kwanza rally attended by the alliance’s presidential running mate, Rigathi Gachagua.
On Friday, July 22, the State noted that crucial witnesses in the matter never showed up to testify over the incident that happened at Mutuati market in Meru county.
Police had planned to charge the 15 with incitement to violence, breach of peace, assault causing actual bodily harm, interfering with free political canvassing and campaigning, and malicious damage to property.
The court had initially heard that there was not enough evidence to convict the 14 men and one woman for the incursion.
Six people who alleged to have been injured in the disruption were supposed to fill out P3 medical report forms which would have been used by the State in the case.
Police officers were also following leads on vehicles which were allegedly damaged in the melee and the cops were looking to arrest the key suspects in the fracas.
The prosecution stated that they had not gathered more information to build up a solid case against the 15, with the defence lawyer, Hoseah Mutembei, calling for the charges to be dropped.
“We patiently waited for them to gather the evidence they said they were looking for. We also obediently attended court but they said they did not have the evidence of planning the disruption as they had promised to,” Mutembei argued.
Maua Senior Principal Magistrate, Caroline Obara, directed that the 15 be refunded the Ksh100,000 bonds they had posted.
Members of the public condemned the incident which saw Gachagua forced to cut short his speech after a group of rowdy youth started pelting stones at him and other leaders allied to Deputy President William Ruto.
Gachagua had earlier presided over peaceful rallies but his stopover at Mutuati was marred by violence with police being forced to lob teargas canisters to disperse the charged crowd.
Meru Senator, Mithika Linturi, blamed their rivals for the skirmishes that saw Gachagua evacuated to safety.
