City car dealer Joseph Kairo, popularly known as Khalif Kairo, has denied claims that he will flee Kenya if released on bail after being charged with failing to honor car sale agreements.
Through his legal team led by Danstan Omari and Cliff Ombeta, Kairo said the prosecution has failed to adduce any compelling reason to have him denied bail by the court.
The prosecution, in a bid to have him tried while on remand, told Chief Magistrate Lucas Onyina they are apprehensive that if he is released, he will flee the jurisdiction of the country and may never appear in court for trial.
They relied on an affidavit sworn by an officer from DCI who went into detail on how long it took to trace Kairo. However, Kairo told the court that he has been cooperative since the time the complaints were lodged.
He said when the investigating officer called him on Saturday, he informed them that he was at a local bank in a mall in Nairobi.
"That's where they found him," said Ombetta.
"If he can tell the officers where he was prior to his arrest, would you say that's the demeanour of someone who would abscond as alleged by the prosecution?" posed Ombeta.
Kairo's defence team further trashed a flight ticket being used by the prosecution as proof that he wanted to flee the jurisdiction of the country.
"The ticket was booked way before the date of his arrest. It was not a plan to exit but as a person going on business," Ombeta said.
"Even before these charges were drafted, Kairo had planned to travel to New York for business."
He contended that the matter before court is purely meant to tarnish his name and destroy his business environment.
Magistrate Onyina will rule on his bail application at 2 pm on Tuesday