Nation Media Group writer Walter Menya was Monday presented in court, more than 24 hours after being arrested in Nairobi.

Police locked up Mr Menya on Sunday on claims of "soliciting a bribe to write a damaging story".

He spent the night in cells at an undisclosed police station.

According to police, the writer’s woes stem from the article he penned on Friends of Jubilee Foundation in the Sunday Nation under the title Civil servants in JP foundation say all they want is to alleviate poverty.

The defence

In the Monday court session, the State sought to file a miscellaneous application against Mr Menya but his lawyers James Orengo and Apollo Mboya said they had not been served with case documents.

The magistrate ordered the State to serve the defence and return at 2.30pm (+3GMT).

In the application, police want to detain Mr Menya at Muthaiga Police Station for three more days.

They argue they have not completed investigations into the bribery claims levelled against him by one Kennedy Kiprotich Koros.

Need more time

They claim they need more time to recover more materials on the story Mr Menya wrote.

They allege that they will look for the materials at the Nation offices at Nation Centre and his house in Nairobi's Embakasi estate.

The officers plan to charge the writer with “demanding property with menace”.

Mr Koros accuses Mr Menya of soliciting cash to have the article published in the Sunday Nation.

The clothes

According to Mr Koros, the writer demanded Sh50,000 to have the story published.

He accuses the journalist of receiving $34 (Sh32,000) between June 15 and 17 through M-Pesa (mobile transfer) and police claim Mr Menya was arrested on June 18 at 12.30pm as he went to meet Mr Koros to have the remaining $194 (Sh20,000).

The $194 (Sh20,000) and the clothes Mr Menya was wearing at the time of his arrest will be submitted to the Government Chemist for examination.

Senior Principal Magistrate Martha Mutuku directed that Mr Menya's lawyers be given copies of the case documents.