BY THOMAS KARIUKI.
Kiambu Governor William Kabogo is free, his talk was not based on hateful remarks, court decides.
It is alleged that the governor in his statements was targeting a certain community in the country.
Trial Magistrate Martha Mutuku dropped the charges of hate-speech and ethnic contempt against the governor for lack of sufficient evidence.
The court said that the prosecution had not established that Governor Kabogo uttered words that are likely to cause violence.
She faulted the prosecution for solely relying on video clips by media houses which recorded the politician saying they might have been edited for consumption by the general public.
Magistrate Mutuku also criticized the state for failing to call the camera person who recorded the incident to testify and confirm to the courts whether the Governor made the alleged remarks.
It was also her view that two witnesses who were called upon to give evidence including musician John de Matthew were not sure whether the Governor uttered the said remarks.
Governor Kabogo was accused that on November 25 last year, he uttered words which were intended to invite feelings of contempt against persons and community in Kenya that do not ethnically embrace male circumcision.
