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Mystery surrounds the whereabouts of Sh200,000 taken away from former Sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa during investigations over the saga pitting him and Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa.

The investigating officer based at DCI headquarters appeared before Kibera trial magistrate Anne Mwangi denied allegations of receiving the Sh200,000 from Echesa.

DCIO Karen Chief Inspector Kenneth Bowen confessed before the court that he received Sh200,000 from Echesa and a mobile phone for investigations.

Bowen told the magistrate that after receiving the money and the phone, he forwarded them to DCI headquarters, which was investigating Echesa over allegations of self-kidnap, torture, and extortion of Sh240 million from the sitting governor of Kakamega.

But the investigating officer from DCI headquarters denied receiving the Sh200,000 and the phone belonging to the former CS

“Contrary to the claims by Bowen the DCI headquarters has never received to date the said money and the phone belonging to Echesa. It is only Bowen who can explain to whom he directed the money and has not produced the letter indicating whether it was received at DCI headquarters or not. It is only him who can verify the issue,” he said.

Perturbed by the conflicting reports by the two officers, the magistrate directed Bowen to return the money to Echesa within 14 days failure to which he will face consequences.

The court had summoned DCIO Karen to shed light on the whereabouts of the money he took from Echesa when he went to lodge a complaint of kidnap and torture. Extortion

Echesa through his lawyer Alex Waweru sought to be given back his money, which he said was not part of the evidence to be relied upon in the Sh240 million extortion case filed against him, businessman Joseph Waswa, and another. The two are accused of demanding the colossal sum from Barasa not to expose a matter.

Echesa and Governor Barasa are engrossed in an extortion saga that has led to the former CS prosecution and his personal assistant Waswa

In the saga both Echesa and Barasa accuse each other of threats to life and extortion. In a report made at the Karen Police Station on March 18 under OB No 53/18/2024, Echesa adversely mentioned Barasa citing threats to his life.

But it was Echesa who was arrested on March 27, nine days after he made his report. The former CS now claims police have acted unfairly by not investigating the allegations he had made but chose to prosecute him and made Barasa a key witness in the matter.