Kenyans on Twitter woke up to a plot twist in the Babu Owino, Dj Evolve shooting case and they are not impressed.
The High Court this morning (03.03.2020) reduced the cash bail granted to Embakasi East MP Babu Owino to Ksh5 million.
Babu had challenged a Ksh10 million cash bail he was ordered to pay by a Magistrate’s court when he faced charges of attempted murder, for shooting a DJ at B-Club in Nairobi.
The news has made the legislator and the hospitalized mixmaster top trending topics in Kenya on Twitter this morning with many condemning the move by the High Court as it is a clear injustice to Dj Evolve.
So when DPP Nordin Haji told us he was going to review Babu Owino's bail terms, he meant scaling it downwards… I never anticipated that.
— ArapKoech. (@roanbirgen) March 3, 2020
Basically, DJ Evolve's family will have to dig deeper to pay for Ongila's criminality… Children of a lesser God.
No justice for the poor Babu owino's cash bail halved from 10m to 5m while Dj Evolve's Hospital hill is 7m…Banana Republic…#BabuOwino #DjEvolve
— Jumah Karisa (@jumahKarisa) March 3, 2020
for heavens sake,will sane people stil elect Babu Owino who almost killed and is now free, why do the government insult us this much? DJ Evolve deserves justice,if yu hear them say they are untouchable believe them,so sad.
— Mary Njoroge (@Maryiana96) March 3, 2020
Babu Owino is a joke and a threat to Kenyan workers, DJ Evolve is suffering because of the Ego from that Juvinile Mp.Courts and the government should protect workers
— Francis Atwoli SCG (@Sgc_atwoli) March 3, 2020
If you live in kenya you know this things happen, Babu Owino bail reduced to 5M, kidogo kidogo Dj Evolve will not get the justice he deserves
— doris wanjala (@doriswanjala) March 3, 2020
He’d been freed on January 27th 2020 after pleading not guilty. The DJ is still admitted to hospital after a suffering a gunshot on the neck.
Justice Luka Kimaru reduced the bail terms Tuesday morning, refusing to revoke them in an application filed by the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Owino had been freed on a Ksh10 million cash bail which the court said will be used to settle the medical bill of DJ Evolve whom he shot at Nairobi’s B-Club on January 17th 2020.
Chief Magistrate Francis Andayi ordered him to deposit the amount in court in four equal instalments of Ksh2.5 million each.
He was further directed to deposit two sureties of a similar amount and his passport.
In further measures outlined by the court, the lawmaker was forbidden from drinking in public, a directive emanating from the second charge he faced – carrying a firearm while drunk and disorderly.
The decision to have Owino freed on bail ended a 10-day detention period out of which seven days were spent in a remand prison in Nairobi’s Industrial Area.
He was also gagged from commenting about the ongoing case where he was charged with an attempted murder charge.
Owino was accused of unlawfully attempting to end the life of Felix Orinda after shooting him in the neck, contrary to Section 222 of the Penal Code.
The offence commonly referred to as accessory after the fact to murder attracts life imprisonment.
“Any person who becomes an accessory after the fact to murder is guilty of a felony and is liable to imprisonment for life,” Section 222 of the Penal Code reads.
Owino also faced a second charge arising from his disorderly conduct while armed, the prosecution telling the court the legislator violated Sections 33 and 31 (1) of the Firearms Act.
The Act (Section 33) prescribes imprisonment for a term not exceeding a year, a fine not exceeding Ksh10,000 or both for any person found guilty of carrying a firearm while drunk or disorderly.
Section 34 (1) further prescribed a sentence not less than seven years but not exceeding fifteen years for, the possession and use of a firearm with, “intent to commit any criminal offence.”
Owino entered a plea of not guilty for attempting to kill DJ Evolve and a second charge of behaving in a disorderly manner while carrying a firearm on January 20th 2020.
This article was first published by Capital News.
