EACC officer recounts arrest of former Kericho magistrate

Former Kericho resident magistrate Judith Achieng. (Photo: File/Standard)

An anti-corruption agency investigator Wednesday told a court how they arrested a former Kericho resident magistrate in an operation.

Patrick M'Mbijiwe told Nakuru Senior Resident Magistrate Liz Gicheha that Sh10,000 that had been 'treated' by Ethics and Anti–Corruption Commission officers for the sting operation was recovered from a handbag belonging to Judith Achieng, who was then a resident magistrate.

Ms Achieng and court clerk Robert Cheruiyot had been charged with soliciting and obtaining a Sh20,000 bribe from Wilson Yegon, a business operator in Broke trading centre, on August 21, 2015.

In his testimony, Mr M'mbijiwe told the court that the operation was conducted after the magistrate allegedly demanded a bribe from Mr Yegon who had been charged with operating a bar without a licence. He said that after Yegon reported the bribery demand, he and other two officers travelled to Kericho town where they handed over Sh20,000.

He said the money, which was in an envelope, was given to Mr Cheruiyot by Francis Kamora, who was part of the investigating team.

"Then I organised my other officers and when we got to the first floor of the Kericho Law Courts, we found Cheruiyot. We recovered Sh10,000 from his pockets," M'Mbijiwe told the court.

During interrogation Cheruiyot revealed that he had handed over the rest of the money to the magistrate. The defence accused the prosecution of 'fixing' Achieng as there was no proof that she had solicited a bribe.