Former parliamentary hopeful charged with forging papers

Former parliamentary hopeful Patrick Ochieng Odipo arraigned in Nairobi on November 14, 2017 over forging academic certificates. PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Odipo, however, denied the charges and was released on a cash bail of Sh300,000.
  • In June, Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi suffered a setback when his attempts to stop his prosecution over alleged fake academic certificates was thrown out by a high court.

A former parliamentary seat contestant in the August elections was arrested and charged with forging academic certificates.

Mr Patrick Ochieng Odipo was arrested by Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission detectives in Nairobi on Tuesday.

The detectives established that Mr Odipo, using the questionable academic papers, was admitted to Kenya Police College, Kiganjo, in 1994 and left as a constable. He resigned in 1999.

KCSE CERTIFICATE
In court, he was charged with five counts including giving false information, personation and deceiving anti-graft detectives.

Mr Odipo presented to EACC a Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education certificate in June, bearing the name Ochieng Patrick, so that he could be cleared to vie for the MP seat.

The prosecution, however, said the document did not belong to him.

It showed the bona fide owner studied at Songhor Secondary School.

CASH BAIL

Further investigations showed that Mr Odipo presented the certificate to the admission officer at the Kenya Institute of Studies in Criminal Justice on August 2014 and attempted to use it to enrol for an undergraduate course at the Presbyterian university in 2016.

He, however, denied the charges and was released on a cash bail of Sh300,000. The case will be mentioned on November 28.

OSCAR SUDI

In June, Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi suffered a setback when his attempts to stop his prosecution over alleged fake academic certificates was thrown out by a high court.

Justice Hedwig Ong’udi ruled that the MP’s case challenging his prosecution lacked merit and his rights had not been violated by investigating agencies.

The MP had dragged the EACC to court accusing it of lacking the power to investigate and recommend his prosecution.

He had already been charged with forging papers to qualify for his MP post in the 2013 poll.

Mr Sudi was re-elected in the August 8 polls.