Suspended Kangema Magistrate Martin Kinyua Mutegi before the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court in Nairobi on August 24, 2026. [Nancy Gitonga, Standard]
Suspended Kangema Magistrate Martin Kinyua Mutegi has been charged with receiving a Sh150,000 bribe to influence the sentence of a convicted businessman.
He appeared before Milimani Anti-Corruption Court Chief Magistrate Harrison Barasa on Monday where he pleaded not guilty to two corruption charges of requesting a Sh170,000 bribe and receiving a Sh150,000 bribe.
Mutegi was released on a Sh400,000 cash bail or an alternative bond of Sh800,000 after the court allowed him to remain out of custody pending the hearing and determination of the case.
As part of his bail terms, the suspended magistrate was ordered not to interfere, directly or indirectly, with any prosecution witness during the pendency of his trial.
Mutegi answered to the charges after Magistrate Barasa dismissed his objection to taking plea, paving the way for the prosecution to proceed with the corruption case.
The defence had sought to have the plea-taking deferred pending proceedings before the High Court challenging his prosecution.
However, Barasa found that there was no court order presented before him stopping or staying the criminal proceedings against Mutegi.