Court stops Garissa Governor Nathif Jama’s prosecution

NAIROBI: Garissa Governor Nathif Jama will not be presented in court on Monday to answer to corruption charges until a matter filed before the High Court is heard.

 

The governor was to answer to criminal charges before a Garissa Magistrate Court on directions of Director of Public Prosecutions Keriako Tobiko.

Adan, through lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi, was yesterday before High Court Judge Weldon Korir where he sought to stop his prosecution over procurement of ambulances for the county.

Ahmednasir told the court that Jama, being a governor, is not a member of the tender committee, and noted that members of the committee were listed on the suit as interested parties.

Charging the governor with the offence, Ahmednasir, is a wanton abuse of the powers of the DPP.

Ahmednasir said the directive to charge Adan came from a senior Jubilee party member who allegedly gave Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) an ultimatum to prosecute him.

"The senior and powerful Jubilee operative threatened that if EACC does not forward the file to the DPP for prosecution then the entire secretariat will be dismissed during the reading of the EACC Amendment Bill pending before Parliament that sought the reorganisation of the commission," he said.

Adan, he further said, was charged in so that the secretariat can safeguard its jobs.

He added: "The entire case is therefore based on inter-clan feud and a group of pastoralists settling old age inter-clan dispute through the instrument of the State..".

In an affidavit, Jama said the leasing of the ambulances was initiated and concluded by the county's tender committee. He said he was not involved in the process and was only present during the launch of the ambulance service.

The case will be heard on July 22.