Busia Chief Magistrate Nyalot says her life is in danger
Western
By
Mary Imenza and Benard Lusigi
| Aug 13, 2025
Busia Chief Magistrate Edna Nyalot has revealed a scary incident when boda boda riders stormed her gate at night to demand that she recuse herself from a defilement case she was handling.
Ms Nyalot told The Standard that the “swarm of boda boda” regrouped outside the gate.
“It was at night when I heard my dogs barking, and when I tried to find out what was happening, I found a group of men on a motorbike. When they saw me peeping through the window, they warned me to stay out of certain matters like the defilement case," said Nyalot.
She has since written to the Chief Justice Martha Koome and the Inspector General of Police asking for investigation into the threats and provide protection.
In the letter, the magistrate claims that lawyer Moses Barasa Ouma, who once verbally attacked her in the precinct of the court, has opened an office opposite her residence to intimidate her.
READ MORE
Eight Kuscco staff on police radar over leaked documents
How shrinking wallets are pushing Kenyans to brand switching
Airtel, Vodacom ink network infrastructure sharing pact
Co-op Bank posts Sh14.1b profit amid branch, digital expansion
Fuel prices drop marginally in latest Epra review
Lessons Kenya can take from Azerbaijan
Lenders given 6-months to roll out risk-based loan pricing model
KCB shareholders set for record Sh13b dividend boom on half-year profit jump
Sudan moves to unlock disputed key trade corridor with Kenya
Bulk buyers: What the property market misses in turnaround plan
“In another worrying incident, I returned to my house in the evening only to discover that someone had tampered with the locks of my doors. They got inside my house, but shockingly, nothing was stolen,” she said.
But Ouma dismissed Nyalot’s claims, terming the allegations as unfounded. He said many people operate law firms in residential areas. “Even the governor’s office is in the same neighbourhood. I have no grudge against the chief magistrate and have never used my proximity to solicit money or influence cases,” he said.
He also dismissed claims the Busia County government had ordered him to vacate, adding that he was in the process of acquiring the property.
“If you stand here, the magistrate’s house is a bit far from my office, and I have several neighbours here. Why is she the only one who feels threatened? I don’t know why she feels unsafe because she should be happy that she is surrounded by advocates,” he said.
Ouma, an official of the Law Society of Kenya Busia branch, said his differences with the magistrate started when he asked her to recuse from a defilement case.
“The file on the defilement case moved from the plea court to her court, and when I asked why she was handling the case, she started to accuse me of intimidating her,” said Ouma.
But the county’s Department of Lands, Housing, and Urban Development terms Ouma’s office as a breach of occupancy rules, a security scare and a nuisance.
“The neighbourhood has become uninhabitable by other residents around, creating a security scare and nuisance,” reads a letter dated August 8. In another notice, the county claimed to own the house where Ouma has set up his office, asking him to vacate in seven days.
Nyalot, who moved from Nakuru two years ago, has vowed not to stop dispensing justice, especially on sensitive cases such as defilement, land and robbery with violence.