ODM Official Wins in Election Case

The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Communications Director was on Wednesday morning acquitted of election malpractice by a Kilifi court.

Philip Etale, who was apprehended during the Malindi by-election, was set free after the court dismissed the charges against him citing lack of evidence.

“God is great. Just jumped the first hurdle, second is high court tomorrow. Thank you God,” Etale wrote on Twitter.

Etale was last week arrested in his room at a Malindi hotel, over claims that he was in possession of election materials prior to the hotly contested mini poll, which ODM's Willy Mtengo won against his closest rival Philip Charo of Jubilee.

The ODM official was detained for hours and later arraigned in court where he was released on a Sh30,000 cash bail, with police being granted five days to complete investigations.

Read also: ODM's Philip Etale Freed After Dramatic Arrest 

After his release, Etale took to his twitter account alleging that his arrest was a set up by the hotel owner.

“The owner of Rafiki Hotel in Malindi, a Jubilee sympathiser must be ashamed that she uses her business as a den for harassing opposing views,” he claimed.

Etale's apprehension brewed a political face-off pitting politicians from the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) against their Jubilee counterparts.

Opposition leaders and their supporters stormed Malindi Police Station demanding Etale's release.

The ODM official also claimed that a police officer had told him that his arrest was politically instigated by the warring sections in Jubilee and CORD coalitions.

Read Also: ODM Official Exposes Person Behind His Arrest
 

 

 

 

  • . .