Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza found herself in police custody on Wednesday, following her arrest at a homestead in Ruiga Village, Imenti Central Constituency.
The arrest, which took place during the governor's philanthropic endeavour of donating a cow, a gesture that is part of her 'Okolea Program', aimed at supporting needy families, saw Governor Mwangaza express her frustration with the authorities' handling of her detainment.
Confirming her arrest, she claimed that the police officers had failed to proceed with the necessary legal procedures, keeping her detained in a police vehicle for an extended period.
"I am under arrest. The police officers don't want to take me to the station to file charges. I have been held in this police car for two hours now," Governor Mwangaza said, addressing the circumstances of her detention.
Expressing her dismay over the situation, she voiced her concerns about the impact on local development efforts aimed at assisting the vulnerable members of the community. She emphasized that such intimidation should not obstruct progress within the Meru community.
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"It is disheartening to witness needless curtailment of development efforts meant to help the vulnerable in our community. Such intimidation should not be allowed to obstruct progress in the Meru community."
Governor Mwangaza went on to assert that the law enforcement officers had been dispatched to disrupt the implementation of her 'Okolea Program', which was devised to distribute cows and improve the lives of the less fortunate in Meru.
This recent turn of events occurs in the backdrop of reports indicating that the 'Okolea Program' had previously been banned by the State, raising questions about the program's legitimacy.
The governor had earlier explained, "This afternoon through a directorate livestock development and fisheries, I delivered a cow and pre-fabricated cow shed to a deserving needy family in Mithatene, Ruiga Central Imenti as part of one Dairy Cow, one needy family program. This initiative funded by the county government of Meru and approved by the county assembly aims at uplifting the lives of the less fortunate."
The controversy surrounding Governor Mwangaza's 'Okolea Program' escalated after Interior CS Kithure Kindiki issued a directive to halt her public donations.
On September 22, Kindiki banned the governor from holding meetings related to the outreach program, citing them as inciteful.
The ban followed an incident of chaos during one of Governor Mwangaza's 'Okolea Program' functions in Makiri, Igembe South Constituency.
During the event, irate residents protested by slaughtering a cow and setting ablaze mattresses that the governor had come to donate to the public.
"Reports that have reached me is that the Governor’s (Mwangaza) allies were inciteful, disrupted peace and assaulted journalists… thinking they are defending the Meru governor. The targeted people also broke the law," Kindiki stated, elaborating on the reasons for the ban.
"We have banned meetings that incite people. This is final. We are not going to allow it. If you think it is a joke, try it. Don’t try me," he emphatically added.
Governor Mwangaza's arrest comes amidst mounting pressure from Members of County Assembly (MCAs) who, on Tuesday, presented seven issues as grounds for her impeachment, further intensifying the political turmoil in Meru.
The situation adds a new layer of complexity to the political landscape in Meru County and will likely prompt further discussions regarding the fate of Governor Kawira Mwangaza and the Okolea program.
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