By Jabali Digital
Trans Nzoia governor George Natembeya has been arrested.
He was arrested by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) when he showed up at the commission’s headquarters in Nairobi on Monday morning to record a statement.
The first term county boss had reportedly been a marked man, over allegations of procurement irregularities, abuse of office, bribery, and fraudulent acquisition of public funds totaling Sh1.4 billion.
Ndegwa Njiru, his lawyer, stated in a post on social media that the former Rift Valley regional commissioner’s lawyers had been barred from accessing him.
“Governor Natembea arrested, currently at EACC. Advocates barred by the EACC officers from accessing the client,” he wrote.
The vocal lawyer went on to suggest that National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula may be having a hand in the tribulations facing Natembeya, adding that the Speaker ‘fears’ the governor.
“You do not need to question Moses Wetangula's pin-drop silence on the criminalization of the justice system targeting governor Natembeya. The man has outlived his usefulness, but is living in denial,” he stated.
In Kitale, crowds gather in the streets, chanting, waving and shouting slogans in support of their governor.
His arrest came hours after drama ensued at his home in Milimani, Kitale, as his supporters reportedly deflated vehicles belonging to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) officers.
Jabali Digital reported that officers had reportedly arrived to arrest the first term governor who has turned into a fierce anti-government crusader, over corruption allegations.
They raided his home, allegedly turning it into ‘temporary barracks,’ but they did not find the former Rift Valley regional coordinator.
His supporters got wind of what was happening, and decided to confront the officers by deflating their vehicles.
Meanwhile, Mumias East Member of Parliament (MP) Peter Salasya has been released on bail.
The first term vocal MP was arrested over alleged hate speech, before being charged at the Milimani Law courts.
He denied the charges, before the court released him on a Sh500,000 bond or Sh200,000 cash bail.