- A Kenya Defense Forces officer successfully withdrew his surety for his daughter’s boyfriend, who is facing fraud charges, after the accused repeatedly failed to appear in court
- The officer, Stephen Yego, had initially secured the accused’s release with his title deed but requested its return due to the accused’s dishonesty and absconding
- The court deemed the accused a flight risk, revoked his bond, and ordered his detention until the case is resolved
A request by a Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) officer to withdraw his surety for his daughter’s boyfriend, who faces fraud-related charges, has been granted.
The decision was handed down by Senior Principal Magistrate Mogire Onkoba at the Eldoret Law Courts.
Stephen Yego, the KDF officer, had deposited his title deed as surety to secure the release of the accused, Jacob Kipserem, also known as Obed Sisei.
However, Yego expressed his frustration in court over Kipserem’s repeated failures to appear, missing court dates more than eight times.
“I have come to demand for my title deed back and let the suspect carry his own cross.
I have ensured that I hand him to the court but I do not want to be involved as his surety anymore since he has shown that he is not an honest person,” Yego stated during the hearing.
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Kipserem, 34, faces charges of fraud for allegedly conning Shadrack Kibunguchy out of KSh 960,000 by falsely promising to secure military jobs for Kibunguchy’s sons.
The charges detail that the money was obtained under false pretenses between November 3, 2021, and December 3, 2021, in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County.
Kipserem denied the charges during his arraignment on March 25, 2022, and was subsequently released on a KSh 400,000 bond.
The Officer’s Surety Withdrawal
Yego, who initially agreed to stand surety for Kipserem at his daughter’s behest, had used the title deed of his KSh 1 million parcel of land. Kipserem’s failure to comply with court appearances led to an arrest warrant.
After evading law enforcement for over two years, Kipserem was finally apprehended in a South Rift town following a public tip-off.
Court’s Decision
Appearing before Magistrate Onkoba, Kipserem claimed he had missed his court dates due to traveling to Magadi in the South Rift for work opportunities and losing track of his court obligations.
Despite his explanations, Magistrate Onkoba deemed him a flight risk and revoked his bond, ordering his detention at Eldoret GK Remand Prison until his case is resolved.
“The accused person’s bond has been cancelled with immediate effect and henceforth he will be remanded until his case is heard and determined. The surety can be given back his title deed,” Magistrate Onkoba ruled.
The case is set for further mention on June 19 for additional directions.
