The Court of Appeal in Nairobi on Wednesday granted Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua a reprieve when it agreed to spare him from facing prosecution over alleged irregular purchase of 16 county vehicles.
In a consent signed and presented in court, the Director of Public Prosecution, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and the Attorney-General agreed to refrain from having him charged with the said allegations.
“EACC and DPP undertake not to initiate any criminal charges against Dr Mutua in relations into allegations of irregular purchase of 15 Subaru Outback and one Toyota Land Cruiser,” the consent reads.
The court was told that there was already an existing criminal case on the matter before a Machakos court and all the accused persons have since been acquitted.
Governor Mutua had challenged his prosecution at the High Court but Justice Isaac Lenaola dismissed his suit in 2016 for lack of merit hence paved way for his probable prosecution.
He, however, moved to the appellate court to protest against the decision.
Following the signing of the consent, the case at the appellate court has been withdrawn.
‘WITCH-HUNT’
After the case was withdrawn, Mr Mutua said the alleged illegal purchase of the government vehicles in 2013 was a witch-hunt orchestrated by his detractors who
“We are happy that the DPP has seen that we have to separate politics from the fight against corruption. We know this was a political witch-hunt which was taken to the DPP as a way of slowing me down,” the governor said.