Mombasa Governor Joho surrenders firearm

Just hours after he vowed not surrender any of his firearms, Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho has surrendered one.

National Police Service spokesman George Kinoti has said that they expect remaining firearms to be surrendered today, Saturday.

The governor was asked to surrender his licensed firearm by the Firearms Chief Licensing Officer Samuel Kimaru.

Joho said he legally acquired the gun and the government cannot repossess it without a valid reason, all the while insisting the move is politically motivated.

He says he has not misused the firearm for the 20 years he has held it.

The order by Kimaru came on the day that seven police officers attached to the governor were withdrawn.

The government said this was part of a move to reduce the number of police officers attached to the 47 county bosses.

The Council of Governors condemned the withdrawal of Joho’s security detail and that of his Kilifi counterpart, Amason Jeffa Kingi.

COG chair Peter Munya called for the reinstatement of the bodyguards attached to the two CORD Governors saying the withdrawal of the security personnel demonstrates a clear conflict between discharge of public duties and fulfillment of personal interests.

In a statement, Munya said the Coast Police Commander Nelson Marwa had failed to provide satisfactory justification for the abrupt action which he says reveals elements of bad faith and abuse of power.

On Friday, Joho, Kingi and Kilifi Women Rep. Aisha Jumwa gave Marwa seven days to publicly apologize for ordering a probe into allegations that their bodyguards assaulted a woman accused of bribing voters in Malindi during the Parliamentary by-election.

The three told Marwa to apologize for what they term as defamatory remarks – associating them with criminal gangs – failure to which they will institute legal proceedings against him.

In a letter dated March 10th, 2016, Kingi’s lawyers demanded that Marwa apologizes immediately and unconditionally to the public within seven days.

On Thursday, Marwa called for a probe into officers attached Joho, Kingi and Jumwa. The officers allegedly attacked and stripped a woman suspected of voter bribery during the Monday by-election in Malindi.