Johannesburg – Peter Solomon Gichira, an independent presidential aspirant, appeared before a Nairobi court on Monday, on charges of attempted suicide.
Gichira was arraigned following a second night in custody at Nairobi's Central Police Station after he allegedly attempted to jump from the sixth floor of the IEBC poll body office in the Anniversary Towers on Saturday.
Nairobi Central Officer Commanding Police Department (OCPD) Robinson Thuku confirmed that Gichira would face three accounts on Monday, namely attempted suicide, malicious damage to property and creating a disturbance, Kenya's Citizen TV reported on Sunday night.
"He broke some glasses at the IEBC offices," said the OCPD.
The aspiring politician has been denied bail on the grounds that "the spirit that prompted him to try suicide could still be in him".
His lawyer, Gachie Mwanzia, however, gave a different account. Mwanzi told Citizen Digital that Gichira had gone to the electoral commission's offices seeking answers as to why the commission failed to comply with a court order squashing the 48 000 signature requirement for independent candidates.
However, the visit to Anniversary Towers turned into chaos when he was barred from meeting IEBC chairperson Wafula Chebukati.
Gichira was axed from the final list of 10 candidates shortlisted by IEBC to present their nomination credentials for approval to run for presidential office.
Mwanzia further condemned the behaviour of the electoral commission and claimed that the arrest was an attempt to lock Gichira out of the polls as he would be dealing with the arrest as other presidential candidates presented their papers.
"It is a plot by IEBC to lock out Hon. Gichira from the race," said the lawyer.