The controversial Kibuye Market Chairperson Judith Matengo, widely known as Nyaramba, was today arraigned at the Winam Law Courts in Kisumu alongside her co-accused Marion Akinyi Otieno, following their dramatic arrest on Monday evening.
The two are accused of assaulting a trader at the busy Kibuye Market in what sources say was a confrontation triggered by political differences and rivalries that have been simmering within the market’s politics.
Appearing before Senior Principal Magistrate Robert Oanda, Matengo and Marion pleaded not guilty to the assault charges.
Their lawyer, Oguso Gilbert, pleaded with the court to grant the accused cash bail, insisting that the duo should be allowed to continue their duties as investigations proceed. However, State Prosecutor Gikunda Anderson, alongside FIDA-Kenya representatives Phyllis Chepkemboi and Angela Obadha, firmly opposed their plea, arguing that releasing the accused could interfere with witnesses and escalate tensions at the market.
Magistrate Oanda directed that the bail ruling will be delivered on Monday at 9:30 a.m. Until then, the two will remain in custody at Kodiaga GK Women’s Prison.
