This archive report was first published on 5 November 2021.
On November 5, 2021, Senior Principal Magistrate Hellen Onkwani handed down a one-year jail sentence to former Laikipia North Member of Parliament Matthew Lempurkel for assaulting his colleague and successor, Sarah Korere, in 2016.
Lempurkel was found guilty of assault and causing actual bodily harm, contrary to Section 251 of the Penal Code. The court ruled that the prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt the assault charges against him.
During the trial, Lempurkel's lawyer, James Orengo, claimed that a CCTV footage did not capture the occurrence of the fateful day. However, the magistrate dismissed the allegation, stating that the boardroom where the offence was committed had no CCTV.
Laikipia North MP Sarah Korere was slapped and kicked on the left side of her abdomen on November 21, 2016. Lempurkel was picked outside Parliament buildings a day later and taken to the Kileleshwa Police Station.
He was released on a Ksh100,000 cash bail or a bond of Ksh200,000 with a surety of a similar amount as the matter proceeded to full hearing.
Laikipia North MP Sarah Korere speaking during a past event.
Former Laikipia North Member of Parliament Mathew Lempurkel.
