Chwele-Kabuchai Ward Member of County Assembly Eric Wekesa has been summoned by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to appear at the DCI Nandi headquarters on Monday, December 2, 2025, to record a statement in connection with a violent robbery of coffee berries that occurred in Tinderet in 2019.
The summons, dated November 29, 2025, and signed by Nandi County Criminal Investigations Officer Joseph Rotich, requires Wekesa to explain his alleged involvement in the theft of 142 tonnes of parchment coffee valued at Sh9.4 million from Chemase Cooperative Society on the night of October 14, 2019.
According to police records, a gang of over 30 armed men stormed the society’s store, overpowered night guards, tied them up, and loaded the coffee onto three lorries before escaping towards the Kisumu-Nandi border. The robbery triggered weeks of protests by farmers who lost their entire season’s earnings.
Wekesa, who was sworn in as MCA on November 29 after winning the Chwele-Kabuchai by-election on a UDA ticket with 6,789 votes, dismissed the summons as political persecution meant to derail his legislative agenda.
Speaking outside Bungoma Police Station where he had gone to seek advice, Wekesa told journalists the case is a six-year-old ghost being resurrected by his political enemies now that he holds public office.
“This is pure political witchcraft,” Wekesa said. “In 2019 I was an ordinary coffee farmer and trader in Tinderet. I was called as a witness, not a suspect. I recorded a statement, gave all the information I had, and the file was closed. Suddenly, after winning the MCA seat, I am now the prime suspect. Who is afraid of Eric Wekesa in the county assembly?”
The newly elected MCA claimed the robbery file was reopened after he defeated a candidate backed by powerful Bungoma political interests.
“My opponents know I will be a loud voice against corruption in the assembly,” he said. “They want to intimidate me before I even table my first motion. But the people of Chwele-Kabuchai elected me to speak without fear, and I will not be silenced by recycled allegations.”
Wekesa’s lawyer, Charles Mutinda, confirmed receipt of the summons and said his client will honour it.
“We have advised our client to present himself on Monday as required by law,” Mutinda said. “We are ready to cooperate fully with investigators, but we will not allow this matter to be used as a weapon to undermine the democratic will of the people who elected him.”
Nandi County Police Commander Benjamin Rotich confirmed the summons, saying the investigation was reactivated after new witnesses came forward.
“This is an active robbery with violence case that caused huge losses to farmers,” Rotich told journalists in Kapsabet. “We have received fresh information linking several individuals, including a newly elected public official, to the planning and execution of the crime. No one is above the law, regardless of their current position.”
In 2019, the robbery sparked outrage in Tinderet, with farmers blocking the Kisumu-Nandi highway for three days demanding action. Eight suspects were arrested at the time, but police said the masterminds remained at large.
One of the victims, former Chemase Cooperative chairman David Kiprop, expressed shock upon learning that a sitting MCA is now linked to the case.
“We lost everything in that robbery,” Kiprop said by phone from Tinderet. “If indeed one of the people we elected is connected to our suffering, then justice must take its course. Position or no position, the truth must come out.”
Bungoma Governor Kenneth Lusaka distanced the county government from the matter, saying it is a criminal investigation outside his jurisdiction.
“This is a police matter,” Lusaka said during a church function in Webuye. “We respect the independence of investigative agencies. Let the law take its course.”
Wekesa’s election on November 27 had been celebrated as a victory for young leaders, with the 36-year-old promising to champion agricultural reforms and youth employment in Chwele-Kabuchai.
Supporters who accompanied him to the police station vowed to rally behind him.
“Our MCA was elected to serve, not to be harassed,” said youth leader Carolyne Nasimiyu. “We know this is politics. We will camp at the DCI offices in Nandi if they dare arrest him unjustly.”
The MCA has urged his constituents to remain calm as he addresses the summons.
“I am innocent until proven otherwise,” Wekesa said. “I will clear my name and return to serve the people who entrusted me with this mandate.”
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations has given Wekesa until Monday afternoon to appear, failure to which a warrant of arrest will be issued.
