Speaker Benson Mutura Charged With Theft And Released On Ksh.500, 000 Cash Bail
Nairobi County Assembly Speaker Benson Mutura has been charged with theft at the Milimani Law Courts and released on cash bond.
Lydia Kadima 
Following his arraignment on allegations of stealing by a public servant, Nairobi County Assembly Speaker Benson Mutura was released on a cash bail of Ksh.500,000.
Speaker Mutura's lawyer pleaded with the court before Senior Principal Magistrate Esther Kimilu to free him, claiming that his arrest was solely intended to shame 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.
Mutura was arrested on Thursday and spent the night at the Muthaiga Police Station before being arraigned on Friday.
After a failed effort to arrest him at the Nairobi County Assembly chambers on Wednesday, the Speaker presented himself to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters on Thursday accompanied by a lawyer.
According to Citizen TV, he is suspected of falsely including his name on a number of county trip lists in order to pocket money without actually traveling.
After a day of interrogation at the DCI headquarters, the Speaker was taken to the Muthaiga station.
Mutura said the DCI summons came after he termed Nairobi Metropolitan Services an illegal organization on Wednesday
According to Mutura, NMs must be presented to the assembly for approval or rejection by the House.
Mutura has since described his detention as politically motivated, claiming that his opposition to the extension of the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) term and support for Deputy President William Ruto were the underlying reasons for his detention.
Magistrate Kimilu has set a hearing for May 16, 2022, and Speaker Mutura has been instructed not to interfere with the investigations.
