The member of parliament for Lamu West constituency Mr Stanley Muthama has been charged in an Eldoret Court for tax evasion.

Mr Muthama appeared before Eldoret Chief Magistrate Charles Obulutsa on Monday for allegedly failing to remit Sh487 million in taxes from businesses operated under Stansha Limited, a company linked to him.

The complainant – Kenya Revenue Authority – accused Mr Muthama of tax evasion between 2013 and 2017.

According to the charge sheet, the MP, jointly with others not before court, through Stansha Limited, evaded paying taxes from income derived from his business activities within Kericho, Kajiado and Nakuru counties.

Mr Muthama denied all the 13 charges pressed on him. Sheila Sanga, who represented the Kenyan taxman, opposed his release on bail.

She argued that the accused could skip court proceedings if released on bond as he had avoided the KRA for a long time, an indication that he is not honest and reliable.

Eldoret Chief Magistrate Charles Obulutsa granted the accused a Sh3 million bond with an alternative Sh500,000 cash bail.

The case will be mentioned on July 15. Mr Muthama was arrested at the JKIA last Thursday.