Nairobi County Assembly speaker Benson Mutura was on Friday released on a Sh1million bond after being arraigned in court for theft charges.
He however did not plead to the charges following an application filed before the High Court seeking to stop his prosecution.
Mutura appeared before Milimani senior principal magistrate Esther Kimilu.
The judge ordered the petition to be served within three days and parties to appear in court on May 9 for further orders.
The magistrate deferred the plea to May 16 and released the speaker on a cash bail of Sh500,000 or Sh1million bond.
His lawyer Dancun Okach, pleaded to have the plea differed after obtaining an order stopping his prosecution.
“Your honour we are seeking to have the plea deferred pending hearing and determination of the application before the High Court as there is an order stopping Mutura's prosecution,” Okach said.
He shared an order issued by Justice Antony Mrima indicating that Mutura filed a notice of motion dated April 20.
Okach pleaded with the court to release his client on bond saying his arrest was meant to embarrass him.
In the charge sheet, Mutura is accused that between February 1, last year and February 28, 2022, in Nairobi, being the speaker of the county assembly, stole Sh5,348,984 the property of the county government which came into his possession by his employment.
Mutura was arrested on Thursday and spent a night in police cells.
He was also grilled for about five hours.
Mutura presented himself at DCI headquarters at around 11 am accompanied by his lawyer.
Investigators questioned him over claims that he stole from his servant by allegedly making imprests for trips he never took.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris
