The Nairobi County Assembly Speaker Benson Mutura has been arraigned in court in connection to the theft of over Sh5.3 million from the Nairobi County Government.

Mutura appeared at the Milimani Law Courts before Senior Principal Magistrate Esther Kimilu on Friday.

He was charged with stealing Sh5,348,987 million from the county government of Nairobi between February 1, 2021, and February 28, 2022.

“On diverse dates between the 1st day of February 2021 and 28th February 2022 in Nairobi City County, being the speaker of the County Assembly stole Ksh.5,348,984 the property of the County Government of Nairobi which came into possession by virtue of your employment,” his charge sheet read.

Mutura was put in custody and spent Thursday night at the Muthaiga Police Station waiting for his arraignment in court on Friday after initial attempts to arrest him from the Nairobi County Assembly chambers on Wednesday failed.

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He later presented himself on Thursday at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations headquarters along Kiambu Road in Nairobi where he was interrogated for the entire day before being transferred to Muthaiga Police Station.

His lawyer pleaded with the court to release Mutura on grounds that the Speaker of the Nairobi County Assembly’s arrest was only made to embarrass his client.

Mutura claimed his opposition to the extension of the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) instigated his arrest.

He also alleged that he was being politically persecuted for supporting Deputy President William Ruto.