Bomet Governor Hillary Kipng’eno Barchok has been released on Sh5 million cash bail after pleading not guilty to corruption-related charges at the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court.
Trial Magistrate Zipporah Gichana, in her ruling delivered Tuesday, also offered the county boss an alternative of a Sh15 million bond, while setting out strict conditions for his release.
“Although the prosecution did not oppose the granting of bail, the charges before this court are grave and merit stringent terms to protect the integrity of the case,” Magistrate Gichana ruled.
She further issued a clear directive barring the accused from interfering with prosecution witnesses either directly or indirectly.
“The accused persons are directed not to contact or in any way interfere with prosecution witnesses by themselves or through proxies,” she said.
The governor is facing the charges alongside several co-accused county officials, who were each granted bond of Sh5 million or an alternative cash bail of Sh2 million.
The prosecutions informed the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court that between November 14 2019 and March 10, 2021, Governor Barchok unlawfully acquired an indirect private interest amounting to Ksh 2 million.
As part of the bail terms, the court ordered all accused persons to surrender their passports within seven days and prohibited them from leaving the country without prior court approval.
In a move to prevent public influence over the proceedings, the magistrate also banned the accused from issuing any public statements about the case.
“Any breach of these conditions will result in legal consequences, including — but not limited to, cancellation of bail,” Gichana warned.
The ruling came after detailed submissions from both the defence and prosecution sides during the bail hearing.
Representing the governor, lawyer Issa Mansur urged the court to consider lenient terms, citing his client’s consistent cooperation with authorities.
“He was summoned, he appeared as required, and is present in court today. He has demonstrated that he is not a flight risk and will continue to cooperate,” Mansur submitted.
While Prosecution Counsel Vincent Monda did not oppose the granting of bail, he urged the court to impose tough restrictions to ensure the case proceeds without disruption or influence.
“The accused are public figures. Any commentary outside court could easily prejudice the ongoing trial. Travel restrictions and a gag on public statements are necessary to protect the process,” said Monda.
The corruption case against Bomet Governor Barchok revolves around payments linked to contracts awarded by the County Government of Bomet to Chemasus Construction Limited.
Among the contracts under scrutiny are Tender Number CG/KRB/006/2019-2020, for the routine maintenance of the Kimenderit–Kotoibek–Olbutyo Bridge Road, and Tender Number CG/DRPWT/004/2018/2019, for the hire of a grader.
The prosecution told the court that the governor personally benefited from the execution of these contracts by the said company, in clear violation of procurement and anti-corruption regulations.
The court heard that on or about March 10, 2021, Barchok received a payment of Ksh 2 million into his Equity Bank account from the account of Chemasus Construction Limited, an amount the governor allegedly had reason to believe constituted proceeds of crime, having been obtained through irregularly awarded contracts.
In addition, Barchok faces four separate counts of using proceeds of crime, after he allegedly transferred sums of Ksh 300,000, Ksh 314,000, Ksh 100,000, and Ksh 750,000 from his Equity account to another bank account between March 15 and March 29, 2021.
According to the prosecution, these transactions were carried out in a deliberate attempt to disguise the illicit origin of the funds received from the contractor.
Barchok is jointly charged with Evans Kipkoech Korir, the director of Chemasus Construction Limited, as well as the company itself.
The court was told that on March 10, 2021, the trio conspired to transfer the Ksh 2 million from the company’s account to Barchok’s, with the intention of concealing the source and purpose of the funds.
In granting bail, Magistrate Gichana emphasized the importance of adhering to the sub judice rule, reminding both parties that the matter must strictly be handled within legal channels and without external commentary.
The case is set to be mentioned again on September 17, 2025, for further directions.
