Governors have come out to demand the same powers as the President after the arrest and prosecution of Busia Governor Sospeter Ojaamong.
Council of Governors (CoG) Chairman Joseph Nanok on Monday noted that they deserved immunity from prosecution enjoyed the president since they are heads of governments too.
“The best practice in jurisdictions that are devolved is that the heads of both levels of government have immunity on civil and criminal proceedings,” Nanok noted during a press conference.
[caption caption="Council of Governors Chairman Joseph Nanok addressing the press"]
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In the statement, the governors protested the arrest of Ojaamong citing that the fight against corruption was being used to settle a personal vendetta.
Nanok also mentioned that the arrest of the governor was meant to distract the public from the rot in ministries, departments and agencies.
The council also indicated that it was aware that security agencies would apprehend more governors in the coming days.
The county bosses further noted that if this happens, they will disrupt county activities.
The county heads also asked President Uhuru Kenyatta to respect their position in government and to stop using corruption to settle political scores.
They also revealed that there were instances where some of them forwarded graft cases to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and to the Office of Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) but no action has been taken.
According to the constitution, criminal proceedings cannot be instituted in any court against the president during his/her tenure in office.
Among all the civil servants, only the president has this immunity.
[caption caption="Busia Governor Sospeter Ojaamong in court"]
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