Kisumu Governor Anyang Nyong'o on Wednesday, October 30, issued a statement barely 24 hours after unfortunate scenes were witnessed at the Kisumu High Court and outside his office.
On Tuesday, Kisumu County Executive Committee Member for Finance George Okong’o was reprieved after escaping imprisonment when Justice Shariff Mwanaisha decided to hand him a suspended sentence with a fine of Ksh200,000 for contempt of court.
The fine was in connection to a contempt of court case related to Ksh16 million in unpaid dues owed to Majock Construction Firm.
Since the county has settled Ksh8 million, Justice Mwanaisha suspended Okong’o's sentence until December 19, 2024, to allow the contractor time to pay the remaining bill. Chief Officer Martin Okode was also released after being sentenced the previous week when Okong’o failed to appear in court.
What ensued after the court proceedings and subsequent release of the finance officer was a dramatic standoff outside the court as Okong’o got into a scuffle with officers who were on standby waiting to apprehend him.
The unfortunate scenes saw Okong'o's security detail confront officers resulting in a push and pull that trickled towards City Hall near Governor Nyong'o's offices.
Through a lengthy statement on Wednesday, the Kisumu governor issued an apology to Okode and Okong'o on behalf of the County Government.
"I would like to apologise to the family of Acting Chief Officer Finance Martin Okode for his incarceration over the matter. No government officer should suffer such indignity and punishment in the performance of his official duties," Nyong'o stated.
While denying the rumours that the fracas was county-sponsored, Nyon'go also disclosed that all fines were paid on Tuesday to the court hence the arrest of Okode was unwarranted.
"The court fine was immediately paid, paving the way for the two officers to enjoy their freedom and liberties," he added.
In the same statement, Nyong'o also clarified that the case involving Chief Officer Martin Okode predates his time as Kisumu governor.
The statement went on, "In the matter in question, the decree-holder is a construction company that was awarded a contract by the county government more than 11 years ago to put up a market. The said market was demolished in May 2017, even before the current administration came into office."
Despite evading arrest on Tuesday, CEC sustained minimal injuries. Meanwhile, moments after arriving at Governor Ny'ong'o's office, the police officers left after consultations with a section of county officials.
