Governors want police officers attached to EACC probed

The Governors, through the Council of Governors, have decried harassment by the Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission (EACC) detectives and police officers attached to the commission.

In a letter to the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) in our possession, the Governors say that EACC has executed search warrants in their (governors’) residents and offices in brutal ways contrary as to how it is out lined in the constitution.

“On 21^st January, 2016 the police officers raided official residence of the Governor of Murang’a County at 5:00AM while being escorted by 15 armed police men, where they forcefully entered the residents using a search warrant which had several anomalies,” read the letter signed by the Council chair Peter Munya.

According to Munya, the officers oversaw the ransacking of the premises taking personal documents and effects including mobile phones, academic transcripts, laptops, testimonials  and Ksh 20,000. He further said that the move was aimed at crippling the Governor from performing his duties.

“This is an effort to the rule of law and a gross of violation of his constitutional rights,” he said.

The Council of Governors now wants EACC to respect the law by as out lined in the bill of rights.

“We believe that when an investigating agency obtains a search warrant it is issued on certain facts that are relevant to the investigations, it is improper when executing a search warrant to seize personal documents and items,” Munya said.

Further, the Governors want IPOA to investigate the roles of the police officers attached to EACC and address the complaints raised.