Another governor barred from accessing office

Garissa Governor Ali Korane, who is the latest county boss barred from accessing his office.

Garissa Governor Ali Korane is the latest county boss barred from accessing his office after he was charged with mismanaging Sh233 million.

Mr Korane suffered the same fate five other governors accused of embezzling public funds have gone through as the prosecution pushed to have him punished for what they termed failure to take leadership in managing resources allocated to Garissa County.

Anti-corruption commission chief magistrate Douglas Ogoti ruled that although barring the governor from office did not amount to removing him from office, it was necessary to curtail his activities within the county offices to protect integrity of evidence and witnesses who are his juniors.

“We have had cases where documentary evidence and exhibits are lost when public officers charged with corruption are allowed back to the office.

“The court will therefore bar him from accessing his office unless accompanied by officers from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission,” ruled Ogoti.

Korane follows in the footsteps of Samburu Governor Moses Lenolkulal, Nairobi’s Mike Sonko, Migori’s Okoth Obado, Tharaka Nithi’s Muthomi Njuki and former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu who were also barred from their offices after being charged with corruption.

The magistrate ordered Korane to pay Sh3,250,000 cash bail to secure his release and deposit his passport in court.

The governor was charged alongside four other county officials with eight counts of conspiracy to commit an economic crime, failing to comply with laws relating to management of public funds and misappropriation of public funds.

His co-accused were the county’s chief finance officer Ibrahim Malow, head of county treasury Mohamed Abdullahi, chief executive officer of Garissa Municipal Board Abdi Bulle and the county’s head of accounting Ahmed Aden.

The case will be heard on October 23.