Senator Omar says Nasa will punish Joho over forgery claims
Mombasa Senator Hassan Omar, joined by other Wiper Democratic Movement aspirants, addresses reporters at Renaissance Centre in Mombasa on April 6, 2017. He said anyone who commits fraud should be prosecuted. PHOTO | KEVIN ODIT | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Mr Joho has admitted he scored a D- in Form Four in 1993 but has denied forgery claims.
- He is being probed by the criminal investigations detectives and the anti-corruption commission.
Mombasa Senator Hassan Omar launched a scathing attack against Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho whom he is seeking to unseat.
He said a Nasa government would investigate and charge him with forgery.
The Wiper Democratic Movement secretary-general said Mr Joho would be prosecuted over claims that he forged his Form Four certificate.
“All alleged wrongs particularly his KCSE certificate to illegally gain entry into university will be punished in the early days of Nasa’s administration,” Mr Omar told journalists at a news conference.
“The facts are glaring and Nasa will not condone impunity by any person no matter his status in life or in society,” Mr Omar said. The senator has opposed joint Nasa primaries in Mombasa.
Mr Joho has admitted he scored a D- in Form Four in 1993 but has denied forgery claims.
He is being probed by the criminal investigations detectives and the anti-corruption commission.
The Kenya Revenue Authority is also looking into his tax records.
MATTER POLITICISED
Mr Omar said the law would have to be applied selectively for “Mr Joho to still remain in office when some 300 Kenya Ports Authority workers were sacked two years ago for obtaining jobs using forged credentials”.
“We must sack people from public service. If there is an audit, it must cover everybody,” Mr Omar said. But he said Mr Joho should be allowed to contest his seat.
The senator accused the Jubilee government of politicising the forgery claims facing Mr Joho, saying he could not be prosecuted now since it would be misconstrued as political witch-hunt.
“The greatest threat to Mombasa politics is the Jubilee government and our regional county commissioner Nelson Marwa,” added Mr Omar.
EYEING PRESIDENCY
Mr Joho said he was confident he would defeat his opponents “by a huge margin” in the polls.
“By God’s grace this time around, I am well prepared. Let them continue talking but I am waiting for them,’’ he said. He was issuing 400 driving licences to youth in Mombasa.
“They are the same people who never believed that I will win in the race for the Kisauni parliamentary seat in 2007," he added.
He said in the 2013 elections in the gubernatorial race, his rivals questioned his academic qualifications but he still beat them.
“I was ahead of my competitor with more than 40,000 votes in 2013 and this time around I will give them a big blow,” he said.
Mr Joho got 132,583 votes against Suleiman Shahbal who got 94,905 votes. Mr Joho said he would run for the Presidency in 2022.
The driving school fees for the youth was paid by the Hassan Joho Foundation.
