Magistrate Timothy ole Tanchu sitting in Limuru said that compelling Ng’ang’a to submit blood samples would make the court cease being an impartial arbitrator/FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 26 – A Nairobi court on Wednesday declined to compel Pastor James Ng’ang’a to submit his DNA for sampling as requested by the prosecution to beef up their case.
Magistrate Timothy ole Tanchu sitting in Limuru said that compelling Ng’ang’a to submit blood samples would make the court cease being an impartial arbitrator.
Tanchu pointed out that police should have been satisfied they had sufficient evidence before they produced him in court.
He noted that compelling Ng’ang’a to give his blood samples would be assisting the prosecution in its case.
The magistrate cited the penal code which allows police to use reasonable force to obtain samples before suspects are arraigned in court.
The ruling has been challenged by State Counsel Catherine Mwaniki who says they will seek redress in the High Court.
On August 21, the embattled pastor was freed on a bond of Sh1million with a similar surety.
He is being accused of causing death through dangerous driving, giving false information to the police, conspiring to defeat justice and failing to report an accident.
About The Author
With a decade of storytelling under her belt, Olive Burrows has been with Capital FM for the last four years and perhaps most notably interviewed US President Barack Obama. Committed to asking the hard questions and telling the story in the most engaging way possible, she has also interviewed Melinda Gates, a UK Minister and severally had the opportunity to sit across from President Uhuru Kenyatta and address the pressing issues of the day. Other notables she has had occasion to seek answers from are UN Secretary General António Guterres and John Kerry in his time as US Secretary of State.