Fresh details about Kikuyu Constituency parliamentary seat aspirant in the 2022 general elections Stephen Kigathi Kionywe, who was allegedly abducted, have emerged.
Kigathi was on Wednesday, July 10, allegedly abducted by unknown people according to a report by his family announcing about the incident.
The surveyor who lost the Kikuyu MP seat race to Kimani Ichung’wah, however, appeared before court on Thursday hours after his alleged abduction.
Kigathi along with four co-accused were charged with three counts of malicious damage to property which includes allegations of setting the Kikuyu CDF office on fire during the anti-Finance Bill 2024 protests on June 25.
In addition, the suspects face charges of torching a CDF vehicle and damaging the Kikuyu Deputy County Commissioner’s (DCC) office.
“On the 25th day of June 2024, at Kikuyu township area in Kikuyu Sub – County within Kiambu County jointly with others before court and others not before court, willfully and unlawfully destroyed by setting on fire a motor vehicle registration number KAH 979S land rover valued at ksh 2,500,000/= the property of National Government Constituency Development Fund Kikuyu,” read part of the charge sheet.
Stephen Kigathi charged
In the third count, the accused are alleged to have damaged the DCC’s office by breaking the window glasses, roof and the perimeter wall all valued at Ksh600,000.
Also Read: Former Nandi Hills MP Alfred Keter Allegedly Abducted
Their charges come after two people linked to the fire that razed down the Kikuyu NG-CDF offices valued at Ksh20 million were also charged.
The two and others who are yet to be arraigned were on July 1 accused of having taken part in the setting on fire of the offices during the anti-Finance Bill protests.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in a statement said the two would be charged with the offenses of arson and malicious damage to property.
Stephen Kigathi was among a list of people whose whereabouts of several people remained unknown following the anti-government protest.
14 Arrested for Theft & Destruction of MP’s Property
The charge against the politician comes after 14 other people were arrested in connection to the theft and destruction of property worth millions of shillings at the home of National Assembly Budget Committee chairman Kimani Kuria during the same protests.
Police have also recovered stolen property, including four of the seven cows reported missing and various household items belonging to the Molo MP.
Molo sub-county police commander Timon Odingo while confirming the incident to the press said that detectives are also trying to establish whether some politicians were involved in inciting youths to participate in the subsequent destruction of property and theft at the MP’s home.
During the protests, Kimani Kuria’s property, including two motor vehicles worth millions of shillings, was torched and reduced to ashes.
The MP’s third vehicle, a Ford Ranger, was also damaged after its windscreen was smashed by angry protesters who shattered glass all over the vast compound. Several windows of his mansion were also smashed by stones.
The attackers also stole hundreds of chickens from the compound and burnt them.
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