This archive report was first published on 2 August 2019.
On August 2, 2019, a Nairobi court delivered a major blow to the prosecution's case against Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria, dismissing hate speech charges against him.
Chief Magistrate Francis Andayi ruled that the legislator had no case to answer, citing the prosecution's failure to authenticate the source of a video in which Kuria was allegedly captured uttering inciting words.
The court also criticized the prosecution for not getting a translator to understand the real meaning of the words uttered by Kuria, which were allegedly abusive and intended to cause physical injury to a person.
The charges against Kuria dated back to September 5, 2017, when he was accused of using abusive words at Wangige market in Kiambu county, targeting NASA Leader Raila Odinga and his wife Ida Odinga.
However, the court found that the words uttered, including 'wembe ni ule ule', could not be interpreted to mean they could cause death or bring injury upon anyone.
As a result, the court ordered the Sh300, 000 cash bail that Kuria had posted to secure his release to be returned to him.
