Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa can finally set foot in his home county after a Kakamega court lifted a ban barring him from visiting his constituency.
This was after the two-term MP was accused of fatally shooting a man in August.
On Monday, Kakamega High Court Judge Patrick Otieno ruled that the legislator can finally visit his constituency.
Barasa was detained for two weeks as the police probed his involvement in the shooting of his competitor’s aide.
Read: Kimilili MP-elect Didmus Barasa To Remain in Custody for 10 Days
He was said to have shot and killed Brian Khaemba’s aide Brian Odinga Olunga at the Chebukwabi polling station in Kimilili constituency on August 9.
Mr Khaemba was challenging Barasa for his seat on the Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP-K) ticket.
The shooting is said to have taken place after the polls closed.
Barasa was released by Justice Otieno on August 24 on a Sh10 million bond with a surety of Sh5 million.
Read Also: Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa Surrenders to Bungoma Police
The court ordered the lawmaker to surrender his passport and desist from commenting on the case.
The case conference will be held on November 14.
A postmortem report produced by Western region pathologist Dr DM Muchana showed that the deceased died from profuse bleeding after a bullet was stuck in his head.
The legislator denied shooting Olunga, stating that on the material day, there were many guns at the said polling station.
Read Also: DCI Gives Didmus Barasa Six Hours To Surrender Over Alleged Murder of Brian Olunga
He also argued that there was no evidence showing that the bullet that killed Olunga was fired from his firearm.
“On voting day, there were other people with guns as well, including my competitor and the police officers manning the place,” he said.
Mr Khaemba has since challenged Barasa’s win in court. He reckons that the shooting caused voter apathy in areas where he enjoyed widespread support.
The petitioner also claims that the incident caused his agents to take off for fear of their lives.
Read Also: Blow to Didmus Barasa As IEBC Officer Declines to Handover Election Certificate
In a 26-page petition, Khaemba alleged voter bribery, intimidation of agents and chaos, and assault of his supporters before and during the polls.
The IEBC declared Barasa the winner with 26,861 votes against Mr Khaemba’s 9,497.
Jubilee’s Erastus Muchumuji garnered 278 votes, Peter Makokha (ODM) 486, and Suleiman Kasuti Murunga (independent) 479.
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