MP Samuel Arama freed on Ksh. 2M bond in land fraud case

Nakuru Town West Member of Parliament Samuel Arama and his advocate Kennedy Onkobo who were charged over land fraud have been released.

Anti-corruption Court Chief Magistrate Douglas Ogoti freed the duo on a Ksh.2 million bond with alternative of Ksh.1 million cash bail.

In granting the bond/bail terms, the magistrate said the prosecution did not give compelling reasons to warrant the accused persons’ detention pending trial.

Mr. Arama and his co-accused were on Monday charged with several offences among them abuse of office, conspiracy to defraud and making a document without authority.

They were also charged with uttering a document with intent to deceive, obtaining registration of land by false pretenses and knowingly misleading an investigator. They denied all the charges.

Mr. Arama is accused of colluding with officers at the Nakuru Lands registry to “unlawfully and deceitfully” disposes a businessman of his land by registering the parcel of land to a different individual who would then purport to sell the property to the MP.

“Investigations by EACC revealed that Samuel Arama in collusion with officers from the Nakuru lands registry unlawfully and deceitfully caused illegal registration and issuance of certificate of lease in relation to plot no.6/95 to an alleged individual who has disowned the purported sale agreement entered between Samuel Arama and the alleged individual person,” said the DPP in a statement issued on Saturday.

Mr. Arama and his lawyer were arrested at an entertainment joint in Nakuru on Friday night and were transported to Nairobi on Monday morning.