Garissa Governor Nathif Jama with his supporters. BY SAM ALFAN. Governor Nathif Jama can breathe a sigh of relief after the High court stayed a decision to charge him.
The court had earlier recommended that the governor be charged within 21 days.
Justice Weldon Korir while dismissing Governor Jama’s petition seeking to halt his prosecution said the Jama should not be arrested for the next 3 weeks or face criminal charges.
The governor is accused of misusing County funds by irregularly leasing ambulances.
Through lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi, Jama requested for three weeks to file an appeal.
He is expected to answer to criminal charges before a Garissa Magistrate Court on directions of Director of Public Prosecutions Keriako Tobiko. 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 reorganization of the commission,” he said.
Jama, 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 commission, however, recommended that Mr Jama and eight others be charged with various offenses concerning the procurement of ambulance services in Garissa County. Jama said he will appeal the high court’s judgment.
