Last month, Sirisia MP John Waluke went back to the corridors of justice in a fresh attempt to overturn a 67-year jail term.
Waluke indicated that he was moving to the Court of Appeal to have his conviction upheld by the High Court overturned.
Through his lawyer Elisha Zebedee, Waluke describes his 67-year jail term as “harsh and unwarranted” and asked the Appellate court to grant him reasonable bail terms pending the hearing and determination of the appeal.
On Friday, November 18, the Jubilee legislator breathed a sigh of relief after he was granted a KSh10 million bail.
The MP was also granted an alternative of KSh 20 million bonds with surety pending the determination of his appeal after spending six weeks in prison.
Pundits opine that his release from jail might play out as a key factor in the forthcoming Bungoma Senatorial elections on December 8.
The Anti-Corruption Court jailed Waluke alongside his associate Grace Wakhungu for defrauding the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) of KSh 297 million.
The pair appealed the conviction and sentence at the High Court, which dismissed their cases.
On October 6, the High Court upheld a 67-year prison term for Waluke and Grace Wakhungu.
Justice Esther Maina said the charges against Sirisia MP and the former CS before trial Magistrate Elizabeth Juma were proved beyond a reasonable doubt.
“The sentences were not excessive. They are within the law. Conviction and sentences affirmed,” the judge said.
In his appeal, Waluke argued that his imprisonment is robbing Sirisia voters of a chance to be represented in the National Assembly.
“There is a clear and present danger that if this application is not heard and determined in a timely manner, the applicant will miss Parliamentary sessions, leading to loss of his seat or failure of representation of the people of Sirisia Constituency in the National Assembly,” the inmate says in the court papers.
