He alleged that senior political figures had approached his children and asked them to persuade him to cooperate so that the case could be concluded.

Former CS Raphael Tuju at the dock in Kibera law court/LEAH MUKANGAI

Former Cabinet Secretary Raphael Tuju has accused unnamed senior political figures of approaching his children in an alleged attempt to persuade him to cooperate with authorities and bring his false information case to an end.

Appearing before Chief Magistrate Stella Atambo at Kibera Law Courts, Tuju said he would not give in to pressure that he claimed had left his children distressed.

“What I'm not ready to bear with is when you touch my children,” Tuju told the court.

“When senior political officers in this country approach my children to ask me to cooperate so that through that cooperation this case can be ended, I am not going to be that stupid,” he said.

Tuju said he had remained respectful of the legal process despite his concerns about the case.

The ex-CS, however, said he was unwilling to accept what he described as attempts to involve his family.

“I behaved very politely, very docile, because of my respect for the rule of law. But to have some politician approaching my children, and my children coming to my house with tears in their eyes, asking me about why don't you just do what I want you to do. I want to put it on record that I will not do it,” he said while in the dock.

Tuju did not identify the politicians he was referring to in his remarks.

He also criticised the prosecution, stating that he sympathised with the lawyers involved in the case and the magistrate for having to listen to arguments he considered unfounded.

“I sympathise with young prosecutors, young lawyers, and indeed yourself (the magistrate), for having to listen to this 'nonsense',” he said.

The prosecution alleges that the former CS gave false information to a police officer by reporting that he had been trailed by unknown assailants and subsequently abducted, despite allegedly knowing the information was false.

The charge relates to an incident on March 21, 2026, at Entim Sidai Spa and Wellness Sanctuary in Karen, Nairobi, and is brought under Section 129(a) of the Penal Code.

Tuju has denied the charge

The former Cabinet Secretary has maintained that the charge sheet was defective and alleged that efforts had been made to have his child testify in the case.

“Prosecutors are young lawyers engaging my children, trying to do a career. And they know, I know, that that charge sheet is defective, to recall,” he said.

He added that an attempt to have his child appear as a prosecution witness "had backfired."