Migori Governor Okoth Obado and the county’s Roads executive Moses Chamwada on Thursday testified in a court case over the alleged poisoning of a ward representative.
The case followed allegations by South Kanyamkago MCA Graham Kagali that he suffered complications after taking poisoned tea at a Migori hotel in March.
He reported the matter to police, pointing the finger at Governor Obado and the executive.
Mr Obado and Mr Chamwada earlier accused MCA agali and one of his key witnesses, Mr Duncan Owino, of conspiring to damage their reputations.
While appearing before Magistrate Dickson Onyango at the Migori High Court on Thursday, Governor Obado termed the allegations “blatant and far-fetched lies aimed at tainting my reputation”.
“MALICE”
Detectives who were investigating the matter later arrested the MCA over the allegations.
The county’s DCI boss Njeru Nyaga said they made the move after the Director Of Public Prosecution established the claims were malicious.
“The ODPP’s report indicated that the suspect did not provide enough evidence of the alleged poisoning. There was an injury to the reputation of the senior county officials implicated in the scheme, which prompted the charges,” Mr Nyaga said.
When he was arrested, Mr Kagali was held in police custody and later released on a Sh50,000 police bond.
When he was charged in May with falsifying the claims, he pleaded not guilty and was released on Sh150,000 bond with two sureties of the same amount.
The case will be heard on July 14.