Nairobi County Assembly Speaker Benson Mutura has been arraigned at the Milimani Law Courts to face charges of stealing by a public servant.
Presented before Senior Principal Magistrate Esther Kimilu, Speaker Mutura’s lawyer pleaded with the court to release him arguing that his arrest was merely meant to embarrass him.
“On diverse dates between the 1st day of February 2021 and 28th February 2022 in Nairobi City County, being the speaker of the County Assembly stole Ksh.5,348,984 the property of the County Government of Nairobi which came into possession by virtue of your employment,” read court charges as seen by Citizen Digital.
Mutura spent Thursday night at the Muthaiga Police Station where he was incarcerated ahead of being arraigned on Friday.
The Speaker presented himself at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters on Thursday after a failed attempt to arrest him at the Nairobi County Assembly chambers on Wednesday.
Sources told Citizen TV that he is suspected to have fraudulently included his name in a number of county travel lists, pocketing money without travelling.
The Speaker was transferred to the Muthaiga station after a day-long interrogation session at the DCI headquarters.
Mutura has since termed his arrest as political saying his opposition to the extension of the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) term and support for Deputy President William Ruto are the real reasons.