The controversial preacher Gilbert Deya was today morning arraigned in court and pleaded not guilty to five charges of child stealing.
Deya appeared before Nairobi chief Magistrate Francis Andayi after his appeal over the extradition request was rejected by a UK court.
Gilbert Deya, is alleged to have stolen five Kenyan children -“Miracle babies “between 1999 and 2004.
He was however been remanded at Kamiti Maximum Prison until the 10th of this month when the court will rule on his bail application.
Through his lawyers Deya asked the court to release him on bail saying that he’s not a flight risk and will abide by court directions.
“He’s a resident of Bondo and has a family in the country .He is an archbishop who has 36,000 members in London alone.
The accused is not a flight risk,” argued Deya’s lawyers.
The court further heard that Deya has no desire to interfere with the investigations in any way adding that Investigations were done more than 10 years ago.
According to the lawyers Deya was taken to Government chemist where he gave samples of his saliva for purposes of DNA test.
“There are no compelling reasons to have Deya detained, “submitted lawyer Cliff Ombeta.
The court was told that Deya has been fighting the extradition process for 12 years.
However the prosecution objected the application to have Deya released on bail saying that he cannot be trusted.
Through state prosecutor Nicholas Mutuku, the court was told that Deya does not deserve the privilege of attending court from his home.
“If he has a family and a fixed abound why did he run away,” asked the prosecutor.
Mutuku dismissed the arguments by the defense saying that if released on bail, Deya will not comply with the condition of the court.
In 2011 the wife of the controversial UK-based preacher Mary Deya was imprisoned by magistrate Grace Nzioka for stealing a child and giving false information. The magistrate upheld medical evidence presented in court that she was not the baby’s maternal parent and ordered her to serve three years on each count.
Similarly High Court judge Msagha Mbogholi rejected her appeal and upheld her conviction and sentence for stealing the baby boy at Kenyatta National Hospital in 2005
