Four Cord politicians on trial for hate speech will have to appear in court again for their case to proceed.
This is after their case failed to continue on Thursday after it emerged that defence lawyers had not been supplied with copies of witness statements. The politicians also did not have documentary evidence the prosecution will be relying on.
Among the accused is Suna East MP Junet Mohamed and his counterparts Timothy Bosire from Kitutu Masaba, Busia’s Florence Mutua and Aisha Jumwa from Kilifi.
Following this development, trial magistrate Martha Mutuku summoned the Serious Crimes Unit head John Kariuki to reveal who headed the investigations to supply the crucial documentation.
Defence lawyers led by James Orengo told the court that they have been to Pangani and Kilimani police stations and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters to get the statements without success.
Mutuku also directed the prosecution to supply the documents within seven days to the defence team.
The case is scheduled for mentioning on September 1.