Nairobi, Kenya – Juja Member of Parliament George Koimburi has been arraigned in court and charged with orchestrating his own abduction, in an alleged attempt to dodge looming criminal charges. Koimburi appeared before a Milimani Court magistrate on July 23 and denied two counts related to the purported fake kidnapping. Prosecutors say the MP conspired with others on May 25 to stage-manage a kidnapping incident in Juja, aiming to prevent his arrest and prosecution in a separate land fraud case.

The second charge claims that in early June, Koimburi gave a false statement via a YouTube video while at a Nairobi hospital – falsely alleging he had been abducted and tortured by unknown assailants. Authorities insist the entire abduction tale was fabricated to generate public sympathy and buy time, after Koimburi learned he was wanted by police. The lawmaker had earlier been summoned to face fraud-related charges involving land deals, which were temporarily stalled by his disappearance.

Magistrate Ben Mark Ekhubi released Koimburi on a cash bail of KSh 300,000 after a court appearance, ordering him to cooperate fully with investigators going forward. The MP was also directed to report to Nairobi’s Traffic Police Headquarters for fingerprinting as part of the legal process. Koimburi’s case will be mentioned again on August 5 once investigations progress.

The sensational charges against a sitting MP have attracted wide attention, with observers noting it’s rare for a politician to allegedly stage their own kidnapping. Koimburi maintains his innocence, with his defense counsel indicating the MP had genuine health issues around the time of the supposed abduction. Nonetheless, if found guilty of conspiracy and giving false information, Koimburi could face additional penalties on top of any outcomes from the original land fraud case that he was allegedly seeking to avoid.