Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho was Friday evening detained at the Coast Police Provincial Headquarters where he and other local opposition leaders had gone to inquire the fate of a close friend who was arrested in the morning after a raid by police on his house.
The governor went to the station at about 2pm accompanied by MPs Abdulswamad Nassir, Rashid Bedzimba, Suleiman Dori, MCAs and other politicians to see Arub Ibrahim Katri, a close ally of Mr Joho and a businessman in the county.
LOCKED OUT
When the news of Mr Joho’s detention broke in the county, other local leaders and his supporters jammed the police station but were locked outside the gate.
Among those locked out was Mr Joho’s lawyer Mr Mohamed Balala.
The lawyer told journalists: “The leaders had come here seeking Arub’s release on bail but they were told that there were orders from above. We are still in in the dark about the detention.’’
“It is not clear why they are being detained,’’ Mr Balala, who is also representing Mr Arub, said.
“The governor has told me that they are ready to be taken to any police station in solidarity with Arub. We have been asked to bring for them food and clothes,’’ the lawyer said at 6.54pm.
HOUSE RAID
Earlier Friday, Flying Squad officers in civilian clothing had raided Mr Arub’s house in Ganjoni, Mombasa, and searched it for hours, but it was not immediately established what they were looking for.
At around 8.30am when Nation visited the house, the officers were still on site, while a group of Mr Ibrahim’s relatives stood outside.
“They just came and got into the house. We do not know their motive, but when they are done, they will leave,” one of the relatives said.
Hours later other officers visited an armoury belonging to county inspectorate director Naheed Musa.
Last Friday, the governor’s security detail and that of his Kilifi counterpart Amason Kingi was withdrawn last week but reinstated two days later.
However, Mr Joho has turned down the security deployed by the government.
Mr Johos’s troubles began after he engaged the President Kenyatta in a public spat in Mombasa last week during the launch of a footbridge at Buxton.
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