Kangundo based journalists have petitioned the chief justice to intervene after being blocked from covering a case where a former MP is charged with defilement.

The journalists have been barred by resident magistrate Japhet Bii from covering the case against immediate former Kangundo MP Moffat Maitha and co-accused Ms Veronica Nthenya.

"Considering the seriousness of the charge and the prominence of the accused person, we feel the criminal case against the former MP passes the test of public interest" the journalists said in their petition dated November 21.

Last week on Wednesday,magistrate Bii ordered the journalists to leave the court room after making a ruling based on an application by the defence counsel. He told the press men that they were covering the case 'unnecessarily'.

On September 17, Maitha appeared before senior principal magistrate Monica Nyakundi and denied defiling a 15 year old primary school girl on June 10 and 23.

He was charged alongside Ms Veronica Nthenya of committing the offense at Kalandini village of Matungulu district and was released on a Sh200,000 bond with surety of similar amount.