Moses Kuria acquitted of Raila, Ida verbal abuse charge

Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria was on Friday morning, August 2, acquitted of hate speech remarks allegedly directed at Raila Odinga and his wife, Ida.

Milimani Chief Magistrate Francis Andayi said that the Prosecution failed to prove its case.

Kuria allegedly made the remarks in 2017 in the run-up to the October 26 repeat presidential poll.

The charge sheet said Kuria incited communities against Raila Odinga using derogatory statements.

“Wembe ni ule ule tutakayomnyoa nayo Raila na kuutumia kunyoa [expletive] za mkewe, Ida,” read the charge sheet.

While acquitting the lawmaker, Magistrate Andayi said the evidence produced in court was insufficient to convict the suspect.

In his ruling, the magistrate said the State’s evidential video clip was sourced from social media, and there was no evidence that it was used on mainstream media.

The court further said that the witness the Prosecution relied on to nail the case was not a qualified Kikuyu to English or Swahili translator.

“The language used in the video was purely Kikuyu, and the Prosecution failed to present in court a qualified Kikuyu [to English or Swahili] translator,” said Magistrate Andayi.

This is the third time the MP is acquitted of hate speech remarks.