We will arrest you over guns, Nkaissery warns Joho

Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery at a past event. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The CS told off the defiant governor saying he was not a county boss of an “independent state.”
  • Mr Nkaissery said Mr Joho must follow due procedure as indicated in the law. He also accused him of politicising the issue.
  • The CS had been invited by the House team over the poor housing conditions for prison wardens but the lawmakers used the meeting to question him over the firearms impasse.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery on Tuesday warned that Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho will be arrested if he does not surrender the guns he owns.

The CS told off the defiant governor, saying he was not a county boss of an “independent state”.

Appearing before the Senate Legal Affairs and Human Rights Committee on Tuesday, the CS, who has been at loggerheads with the governor over the guns, said Mr Joho’s temperament showed that he was not fit to own a firearm.

“Let us not confront each other. I am there for you. We are there for you. You make the laws and I cannot break the laws because you can kick me out. Let the governor know Mombasa is not an independent state. Tell him if he has not surrendered his guns by 2pm today we will arrest him. Today 2pm o’clock he is in jail,” said Mr Nkaissery.

He told Cord senators, who said they were going to meet the governor later on Tuesday, to stop being defiant or he would be thrown into jail.

Mr Joho has since appealed against the directive to surrender the firearms, but the CS said he was not going to listen to him before the guns were back with the gun chief licensing officer.

“Tell him you met the general and he was very emphatic. He has politicised the matter,” he added.

BROKER A TRUCE

Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale, who confirmed that he was going to meet Mr Joho, said the senators would approach the governor in a bid to broker a truce between him and the CS.

“It is now politics. I will tell him we can talk with the CS in his office and call a truce,” said Dr Khalwale.

Mr Nkaissery said Mr Joho must follow due procedure as indicated in the law. He also accused him of politicising the issue.

“Tell him he must surrender the gun and tell the public that according to the law ‘I have been given a gun but the licence has been revoked and I have returned the gun but I would like to ask the government why they are taking away my gun.’ I will look at it and if there is no problem we will return his gun,” he said.

The CS had been invited by the Senate panel to answer questions about poor housing for prison wardens, but the lawmakers used the meeting to question him over the firearms impasse.