Court orders DCI to verify PS Korir’s health claims in assault case

Directorate Criminal Investigations (DCI) George Kinoti has been ordered to verify medical documents indicating that Devolution Principal Secretary (PS) Julius Kiplangat Korir, who is facing assault charges, has contracted Covid-19 and is unable to attend court for plea taking.

The new twist comes after PS Korir skipped court for the third time but tabled a medical report through lawyer Nicholas Ombija claiming he is admitted to a city hospital after testing positive for Covid-19 while outside the country on official duty.

“Your honour, my client travelled back in the country late last week but he contracted Covid-19 and hence, could not be able to attend court. I have medical documents to prove that he is sick,” Ombija informed the court.

Following the tabling of the medical documents, the prosecution through Alice Muthangani, however, told the court that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) through the DCI needs to verify the medical document first to confirm whether it is genuine or not.

As a consequence, Milimani chief Magistrate Susan Shitubi allowed the DPP’S request to give them more time to verify the documents and ascertain if the PS had tested positive for Covid-19 and if he is admitted to hospital as alleged by his lawyer.

However, the magistrate adjourned the matter to March 1 and gave a warning to the defence that court summons must be honoured.

She ordered a detailed report on the PS’s health condition to be filed in court on March 1.

The PS was expected to be in court on Monday, February 14, 2022, to answer to charges of assault on his estranged wife Evelyn Chepkoech while pregnant.

He is alleged to have committed the offence on September 17, 2020, at Ndalat Road, Karen, Nairobi.

Last week, Magistrate Shitubi extended the summons to have Korir present himself in court after the defence lawyer told the court that he had travelled out of the country for an East Africa Community function on devolution.