A man was charged with unlawful entry into the parliamentary compound by climbing over the fence.
Stephen Mokogi Nyarenchi who appeared before Milimani chief magistrate Benmark Ekhubi denied the charge of unlawful entry into parliament precincts on June 28, 2024, at 5 am.
After denying the charge, the accused informed the court that the charges against him were false as he did not access the Parliament building as alleged by the prosecution.
“Your honor this charge is partly true and not. For sure l was arrested on my way to parliament where l wanted to go meet my Member of Parliament to have a word with him over the Finance bill,2024,” Mokogi stated.
When asked by the magistrate, whether he is the one who took the allegedly missing mace which is a sample of authority at Parliament.
In response, Mokogi stated that he did take the mace since he never accessed the Parliament building.
He urged the court release on Sh 1,000 cash bail as he is unemployed.
The magistrate ordered the accused to be freed on Sh 2,000 pending a hearing of his case
His arrest and arraignment came after protesters broke into parliament last week overpowering police officers, and in multiple videos, they ransacked the August House, ate food in the cafeteria, and even stole a serjeant-at-arms jacket.
Speculation abounded last week after a video showed protesters brandishing what appeared to be the mace, but Speaker Moses Wetangula denied losing his symbol authority, telling the House on Wednesday June 26,2024 that what had been stolen was a dummy mace used for decorative purposes.
“Reports that the House mace had been carted away by the demonstrators are false; what was taken away was a dummy Mace on display.” Wetangula told the House.
“I want to assure members of the House that the mace is always highly secured,”
The ceremonial mace is an elaborately adorned staff made of metal, wood, or other materials.
It is carried by a designated Mace-bearer or placed in front of sovereigns and high officials during civic ceremonies or revered gatherings to symbolise authority.
The one in Parliament features the Kenyan coat of arms and is made of gold, ivory, and gold coating.
It measures 4.5 feet in length and weighs 12.5 kilograms.
