Bomet County Governor Hillary Barchok./SCREENGRABThe High Court has declined to halt the prosecution of Bomet Governor Hillary Barchok over allegations of graft.
Barchok had moved to court under a certificate of urgency seeking orders to stop his arrest and prosecution.
That is after the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) last week approved charges leveled against the Bomet governor following investigations by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission.
The ODPP had approved the prosecution of the Bomet governor and several other high-profile figures.
According to the ODPP, the cases relate to inquiries into county government operations that raised allegations of procurement fraud, conflict of interest, and misappropriation of public funds.
In a statement, DPP Renson Ingonga said Governor Barchok is to be charged with conflict of interest and unlawful acquisition of public property.
Investigators allege that companies linked to him received payments from the Bomet county government between the financial years 2019/20 and 2025.
Justice Bahati Mwamuye, in orders issued on Monday, directed Barchok to serve his petition to the EACC in both soft and hard copies by tomorrow, September 2, 2025.
"The respondent (EACC) shall enter appearance and file and serve its response to both the application and the petition by close of business on September 19, 2025," Mwamuye said.
The court directed that the matter be mentioned on October 7 for further directions on an expedited hearing and determination.
President William Ruto has in recent statements reiterated that the government remains committed to combating corruption.
