Former Sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa and three others have been charged with 12 counts of offenses over the Sh39 billion fake military tender.
Mr.Echesa and his co-accused pleaded not guilty to the charges of conspiracy to commit a felony, making a document without authority, impersonation, obtaining money by false pretenses among other charges.
Mr. Echesa is charged alongside Mr.Daniel Otieno Omondi alias General Juma, Mr. Clifford Okoth Onyango alias Paul and Mr. Kennedy Oyoo Mboya.
The court freed Mr. Echesa on Sh1 million cash bail or Sh3 million bond despite pleas by the prosecution to deny him and his co-accused bail.
Earlier on Monday morning, Echesa’s lawyer, Evans Ondieki, told the court that the Director of Public Prosecutions ambushed them since they were set to appear in another court.
The lawyer said Mr. Echesa was set to appear at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport court for a mention of a miscellaneous application against the former Sports boss.
Mr. Ondieko also protested against the prosecution of Mr. Echesa on social media, citing comments made by Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu, Siaya Senator James Orengo and trade unionist Francis Atwoli.
The lawyer claimed that the four leaders were pressuring the court to deny his client bail.
Further, Mr. Ondieko said the case against Mr. Echesa is only meant to fight the Deputy President William Ruto.
