National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula has lauded the Court of Appeal for overturning a prison sentence that had been slapped on Sirisia Member of Parliament (MP) John Waluke.

The MP found himself in hot soup when he was implicated in a Ksh313 million maize case and consequently was convicted in 2020.

Wetang’ula, a former Sirisia MP, said the Court of Appeal’s decision is not only a reprieve but a win for the constituents that Waluke represents in Parliament.

“Today (Saturday, October 12, 2024), I stood with the family of my longtime political ally, Mzee Justus Siende, as we laid his wife, Mayi Naomi Siende, to rest at Mukhweya village in Kabuchai Constituency, Bungoma County. During the ceremony, I took the opportunity to urge Kenyans to uphold peace, emphasizing that Kenya, as a key player on the African continent, can only thrive in an atmosphere of harmony.

“I further acknowledged the Court of Appeal’s Friday decision to quash the 67-year sentence imposed on Sirisia MP Hon. John Waluke.

“This reprieve is a significant victory for his constituents and the region he represents as chairman of the Western MPs Caucus, of which I am a patron,” Wetang’ula said in a statement posted on his X handle.

Waluke’s case

Apart from Waluke, his co-accused, Grace Wakhungu, who had been sentenced to 69 years in jail, was also freed by the Court of Appeal.

The two were convicted and sentenced in 2020 with an alternative of fines of more than Ksh1 billion after being found guilty of fraudulently receiving money from the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) for maize that was never delivered.

“We are satisfied that the appellants have made a case to warrant us to allow their appeal. Their conviction and sentence are set aside. The appellants shall immediately be set free unless otherwise lawfully held,” Judges Asike Makhandia and Patrick Kiage ruled. 

The two faced a case where they were alleged to have fraudulently acquired Ksh313 million from public coffers, purporting it to be costs of storage of 40,000 metric tonnes of white maize purportedly incurred by Chelsea Freights.

They challenged the initial sentence at the High Court, but Justice Esther Maina upheld the Magistrate’s decision making Waluke move to the Court of Appeal, where they got a massive reprieve.