Jaro Soja in court, freed on Ksh10,000 cash bail

Jared Otieno, popularly known as Jaro Soja was arraigned in court on Friday and released on a Ksh10,000 cash bail after pleading innocent to assault charges levelled against him by Gor Mahia deputy Organising Secretary, David Kilo.

The case against the self-styled commander of the K’Ogalo Defence Forces (KDF), the group of Gor’s ultras famously known as Green Army, will be up for mention after 14 days on April 11 at Nairobi’s Kibera Law Courts where he answered his plea.

Otieno was arrested on Thursday at the precincts of Nairobi’s Nyayo National Stadium and charged with assaulting Kilo in an incident that occurred after the team’s shock 2-1 home loss at the hands of Madagascan side, CNaPs Sports in their opening leg of the CAF Champions League last month.

The case proceeded to court after mediation efforts between Otieno and Kilo to have the charges dropped failed.

Speaking to Citizen on phone, the self-standing number one fan of the SportsPesa Premier League champions said, “I’m willing to talk to Kilo to have him withdraw the case.”

However, the organising secretary who was hospitalised after the attack was adamant, saying “I’m not ready for talks and would like the court to make a judgement on the case. The matter is already in court.”

Sources have told Citizen the alleged incident involved Otieno hitting the plaintiff with a chair before he allegedly ordered fellow ultras to pounce on the official.

On Thursday, the ‘KDF’ commander was released from custody after posting a KSh20,000 bond when he was taken to Nairobi’s Langata Police Station for processing with police advising the litigants to settle the matter outside the court.

When reached for comment, club chairman, Ambrose Rachier, declined to respond to the issue despite being reported at calling at both parties to settle the dispute out of court.

Gor play Nairobi City Stars on Saturday at Nyayo with the arrest and arraigning in court of Otieno, who has appeared in many of the club’s functions as a mascot resplendent in his green or white military-themed club uniform, is bound to stoke heated debate on the stands.