Garissa Governor Ali Korane on Sunday said the ongoing graft case against him will not derail his execution of duties as governor.
Korane and four others have been charged with conspiracy to commit economic crime, willful failure to comply with laws related to the management of funds and misappropriation of public funds.
They are charged that between February 25 and September 30, 2019, within the county, they mismanaged public funds allocated to the county as a conditional grant for the Kenya Urban Support Programme amounting to Sh233.5 million.
His co-accused are Ibrahim Malow Nur, Mohamed Ahmed Abdullahi, Abdi Shale and Ahmed Abdullahi Aden. Korane was barred from accessing his office.
Addressing the press at his residence, Korane said he will continue running his administration as per the law, adding that “nothing has changed.”
He assured residents that the case will not hinder service delivery. The county chief announced that he will preside over a cabinet meeting at his residence on Monday to deliberate on the execution of their joint mandate.
He appealed to residents to stop endless politicking over his pending case and instead co-exist peacefully and go about their work without being preoccupied with the case.
“There is nothing tribal, clan or personal about the court case. It’s an occupational hazard. Using poets and folk songs to polarise the public because of the court case is uncalled-for,” Korane said.
He said he has a duty to defend himself in court and maintained that no money was misused or lost and that the case only touched on willful failure to comply with laws related to the management of public funds.
Last Wednesday, Deputy Governor Abdi Dagane announced his decision to assume the governorship in an acting capacity pending the conclusion of Korane’s case. He promised to ensure continued service delivery.
“I urge the residents of Garissa county to join me in praying for our governor and other county officials for a speedy conclusion of the case,” he said.
He added that the county leadership will be guided by best practice adopted by counties with intentions of doing better.
“I’m profoundly appealing to the political leadership — both at the national and county levels, most importantly the county assembly of Garissa — to enhance their role and show leadership and practical wisdom required of us by our people in this extremely difficult period,” he said.