This archive report was first published on 25 September 2021.
Published on September 25, 2021, a High Court in Kakamega, Kenya, ruled that Violet Khanali, a murder suspect, was a flight risk and revoked her bond.
Justice William Musyoka of the High Court in Kakamega stated that Khanali had abused the privilege of being granted a bond in 2015 by absconding court, resulting in the warrants for her arrest being renewed 50 times.
According to court records, Khanali attended court only once in 2015, on November 4, when she successfully applied for lenient bond terms, promising to attend court regularly. However, she failed to attend court on November 25 and 30 of the same year, prompting the court to issue an order for her arrest on December 7, 2015.
The warrants for her arrest were renewed and remained in force until October 26, 2020, when she showed up in court. The State applied to have her bond revoked and for her trial to proceed while she is remanded in prison.
Ms. Khanali, who was out on a Sh250,000 bond, challenged the application by the State, saying it went against her fundamental rights to a fair trial. However, the State rebutted by saying she had no genuine reason to miss court apart from the urge to delay and defeat justice when she was facing a capital offence.
Justice Musyoka noted that Khanali's advocates attended court but never saw her, further weakening her case to convince the court to reinstate her bond.
