Tables Turn For Juja MP George Koimburi Following Release

Further, the prosecution stated that there is a real likelihood that the accused person will abscond the court.

Tables Turn For Juja MP George Koimburi Following Release
Juja Member of Parliament George Koimburi in court on February 20, 2025. /ODPP

Hours after Juja Member of Parliament George Koimburi was released on a Ksh200,000 cash bail, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has opposed his temporary release.

In an application filed at a Kiambu court supported by an affidavit from an Inspector of Police attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations’ (DCI), Serious Crime Unit, the DPP argued that the lawmaker was initially charged with forging academic certificates and absconded court on six occasions.

Prosecution Counsels Evelyn Onunga and Benjamin Kelwon told the court the legislator failed to adhere to the terms and conditions of the bail and the court ordered the forfeiture of his cash bail of Ksh100,000.

According to the ODPP in a statement on Thursday, February 20, a warrant of arrest was issued on April 6, 2022, which "remained in force until its execution on February 18, 2025."

A building housing the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP). /FILE

Further, the prosecution stated that there is a real likelihood that the accused person will abscond the court.

"To ensure the ends of justice are met in this case, it is of the prosecution's view that the accused person be denied bond on the first instance," explained Onunga.

The lawmaker on Wednesday denied multiple charges, including the falsification of academic documents, some dating back to 1994.

The MP was slapped with three charges related to forging academic certificates and three more for uttering false documents. He was arraigned at the Kiambu Law Courts following his arrest on Tuesday, February 18.

Prosecuting Counsel, Assistant Director of Public Prosecution Everlyn Onunga, told the court that “On diverse dates between November and December 1994 at an unknown time and place within the Republic of Kenya, with intent to deceive, the MP forged a Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) certificate to wit Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) purporting it to be a genuine and dully signed certificate issued by KNEC."

He was charged with two other counts of forging a Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) certificate of participation in the East African Universities Accession Project and a JKUAT Academic Excellence certificate from the Department of School of Human Resource Development, between September 2011 and April 2012.

The MP was also charged with allegedly uttering the said academic certificates and Certificate of participation, purporting them to be genuine and duly signed certificates issued by KNEC and JKUAT.

The court heard that the accused person knowingly and fraudulently uttered the said certificates on March 8, 2021, at the Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (EACC) offices.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges. The court was expected to rule on February 20, 2025, on whether the legislator will be handed another charge of failing to attend court as preferred by the prosecution.

Meanwhile, the court will rule on February 25, 2025, whether the legislator will be granted bail. Koimburi was reportedly intercepted by detectives from the DCI while heading to Parliament on Tuesday morning.

Juja MP George Koimburi arraigned at the Kiambu Law Courts on February 19, 2025. /ODPP