Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja has dared DCI boss George Kinoti to arrest him, saying that his office “will not install a project on the people of Nairobi”.
The embattled senator took to social media and told Mr Kinoti that he was welcome to go and pick him up at his office.
“Threats of arrest and persecution by the state will not intimidate us or change the will of the people of Nairobi. Our resolve remains firm,” said Mr Sakaja.
“Bwana DCI Kinoti, I’m at my Riverside office, karibu or let me know if you’d like me to come over. Your office will not install a project on the people of Nairobi. My qualifications are legit and the relevant institutions have refused to play along with your games. Let the people decide.”
His response came a day after the DCI said Mr Sakaja was a suspect in an international criminal syndicate even as his “fake” degree saga drew in Ugandan authorities.
The DCI boss said Mr Sakaja and officials of Team University in Uganda, where the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidate for the Nairobi governor’s seat claims to have earned a degree, are suspects in an international organised crime syndicate.
“We will not surrender our capital city to frauds. We will involve all international agencies in investigating and prosecuting anyone involved in academic fraud,” Mr Kinoti told the Nation.
Mr Sakaja has been cleared by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to contest the top county seat but is battling several petitions touching on his academic qualifications at the agency’s disputes tribunal.
Revoked by the CUE
The petitions include those questioning his academic qualifications and specifically a degree he says he acquired from Teams University in Kampala.
The degree recognition has been revoked by the Commission for University Education (CUE).
Mr Sakaja faces a three-year jail term if a court finds that he forged his university degree and transcripts.
“Any person who forges any document or electronic record is guilty of an offence which unless otherwise stated, is a felony and he/she is liable unless owing to the circumstances of forgery or the nature of the thing forged some other punishment is provided, to imprisonment of three years,” says Section 349 of the Penal Code.
On Thursday, while campaigning in Nyamira, Deputy President William Ruto, whose UDA party has sponsored the senator to run for governor, lashed out at the authorities, demanding that Mr Sakaja be left alone.
“I am telling my competitors and my former (political) party Jubilee. Please leave Sakaja alone. Sakaja has gone to school and we have seen his papers. Stop taking him round in circles,” said Ruto at a campaign rally.
“The deep state and system are making calls all over the place. They have even called State House in Uganda while looking for means to stop Sakaja from contesting for the Nairobi gubernatorial seat.”
Dr Ruto challenged his opponents to allow the IEBC to do its job without interference.
“Those of you doing all these things, please let the IEBC do its job. For you, let us meet at the ballot. Sakaja will be a candidate and we will defeat you,” Dr Ruto said. BY DAILY NATION