The Director of Public Prosecution Noordin Haji severally tried and failed to prevent the prosecution of Garissa Governor Ali Korane, we can can authoritatively reveal.
It took protests from the World Bank and President Uhuru Kenyatta’s unprecedented intervention to get Haji to approve the arraignment of Governor Korane following months of tacit insulation by the Office of the Public Prosecutor.
Kenya’s ability to effectively fight grand corruption was recently brought into serious disrepute when the World Bank protested to President Uhuru Kenyatta about embezzlement of its development funds in the counties.
The informal protest led to President Kenyatta summoning the Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji to explain several high profile cases were seemingly stuck at his office as corruption continues to take its toll on the Kenyan economy.
A furious Uhuru is reported to have read the riot act to the DPP whom it was noted had especially insulated Garissa Governor Ali Korane from prosecution in serious criminal cases.
During a showdown with the Head of State, the DPP was at pains to explain why high profile cases were stalling at his office
Events leading up to the arraignment of Garissa Governor Ali Korane suggest that the DPP Haji was prevailed upon by his father Senator Yusuf Haji who is an elder of one of the powerful clans of Garissa County County are keen to save Governor Korane.
Following Uhuru’s intervention, Korane was on Tuesday morning arraigned at the Milimani Law Courts together with four others over embezzlement of Sh233 million World Bank grant.
Appearing before Anti-Corruption Magistrate Douglas Ogoti, the accused were charged with conspiracy to commit an offence of economic crime, willful failure to comply with laws related to management of funds and misappropriation of public funds. The governor was released on a cash bail of Ksh.3.2 million or Ksh.5 milllion bond and also barred from accessing his office.
Haji has previously come under spotlight for prosecutorial misconduct.
Zachari Obado (Migori), Mike Sonko (Nairobi), Muthomi Njuki (Tharaka Nithi) are among governors currently battling corruption charges
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