Eliud Wekesa, also known as Yesu wa Tongaren, was set free on Tuesday by a Bungoma court after the prosecution said they had no evidence against him.
Wekesa had spent five days in police cells by the time he was released by Bungoma Principal Magistrate Tom Orlando freed Mr. Wekesa.
The court ruled that Yesu Wa Tongaren had no case to answer.
This was after the prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence.
The prosecution had requested for Wekesa to be detained, to allow investigations to continue.
Yesu had been accused of unlawful operation of an unregistered society, radicalization, and money laundering. But on Tuesday the prosecution said it lacked evidence.
While addressing the media, Wekesa thanked his followers for standing with him and even contributing money while he was in custody.
(I want to thank the people of God for standing with me and my family during this period, and for giving my wife money for our home expenses).
Yesu’s lawyer- Wajackoya
Yesu’s lawyer, George Wajackoya, condemned the arrest of ‘Yesu wa Tongaren’ saying it was politically instigated by leaders from Bungoma County.
“It is very wrong to incriminate a religious leader based on the Shakahola incident. This man is very innocent and his arrest was purely political. A lot of Bungoma leaders, including the governor, were on the forefront pushing for his arrest,” Wajackoya told the court.
Wajakoya also noted that every religious leader has a right to preach the word of God and is protected by the Constitution.
The principal magistrate ruled that Wekesa had no case to answer after the prosecution failed to adduce any evidence before the court to enable his prosecution.
“The suspect has not been found with any offence following investigations that were done by police and therefore is set him free,” ruled Mr Orlando.
By Wanjiru Mbaru