Yesterday evening Pokot South MP was arrested by DCI detectives and taken to their Headquarters along Kiambu road from questioning.
According to his aid Mr. Geoffrey Achokor, the legislator was arrested after leaving his office on Thursday evening.
"Hon. Pkosing was arrested at around 4:00PM while leaving his office at KICC, and was whisked to DCI headquarters. No information has been given so far. He has been held from 4PM till now and his advocate had not been let in all this while until a few minutes ago. We do not know whether he is being held for what is goin on in the North." Said Geoffrey Achokor yesterday.
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| Pokot South MP Hon. David Pkosing |photo| Courtesy| |
Reports indicate that the detectives were probing him for allegations of making inciting remarks.
However, The MP was released at around 10:30PM yesterday after hours of grilling by detectives at DCI over allegations of facilitating the operations of bandits in Northern Kenya.
Speaking outside the DCI HQ, after his release, the MP denied all claims of facilitating the operations of bandits in the Rift.
Hon. Pkosing disclosed that the DCI had questioned him for having secured the release of seven young Pokot boys who had been arrested for allegedly being bandits.
The lawmaker acknowledged having secured the release of the boys but insisted they were the owners of 200 heads of cattle that had been killed by bandits and that they were arrested while counting their loses.
This arrest came after the government declared total war on banditry in six hotspot counties where combined security operation comprising the police and the military has been ordered.
Interior CS Prof. Kithuri Kindiki revealed on Sunday that in the last six months alone, more than 100 civilians and 16 police officers have been killed by marauding bandits and livestock rustlers in the Northern Rift Valley region.
The government imposed a 30-day dusk-t-dawn curfew in some areas affected by banditry in the counties of West Pokot, Elgeyo Marakwet, Turkana, Laikipia, Samburu, and Baringo as deterrent measures.
In solidarity with the lawmaker, several MPs from West Pokot yesterday trooped to the DCI headquarters along Kiambu road.
They include Senator Julius Murgor, Women Rep Rael Leotum, Sigor MP Peter Lokachapong, North Pokot MP Titus Lotee and Kapenguria MP Samuel Moroto.
The MPs defense lawyer, Danstan Omari claims that the arrest of the MP as political witch hunt insisting his client was not a criminal.
Omari claimed the MP was being targeted because of his links to the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party led by Raila Odinga.
"The issue in the matter is that Mheshimiwa was warned by a Cabinet Secretary that he will be arrested; that is not the way, because the CS has no mandate at all to arrest. Article 244/245 gives the Inspector General of Police absolute power to arrest; he only takes direction pursuant to Article 157 from the Director of Public Prosecutions. That is why Mheshimiwa's arrest was a political witch-hunt," alleged Lawyer Danstan Omari.
Danstan Omari denied the reports that his client Hon. Pkosing owns the famous white chopper that he had allegedly been using to facilitate banditry activities.
"He has given his version of the story. he has never owned a white chopper, and it is all over that the alleged chopper that is supposed to be funding or transporting the bandits is white. Mheshimiwa has accounted for all the days since this issue started, and that is why he has been released to go home; he is not under police custody," Said Omari
The MP closed by vowing to never cease speaking about the Pokot despite intimidation.
He emphasized that the Pokot are not bandits and peace won't be brought about by intimidating leaders.
"If there is anyone who wanted to intimidate me, let them know i will not stop talking about the Pokot." Said Pkosing.
