Governor of Machakos Alfred Mutua has maintained that the arrest warrant issued against him was for his job, not for him personally.
After failing to execute court instructions, the governor was arrested by Machakos Environment and Land Court.
Mutua indicated in his statement that he was aware of the arrest warrant and that such court orders are common in government.
“I wish to clarify that the warrant is not directed to me as a person but to my office as the Governor of Machakos. This is normal in government,” he added.
Senior Resident Magistrate Charles Ondieki issued the directives on September 1, 2021, while deciding on a case brought before the court by David Gitau Thairu.
Thairu filed a lawsuit against the governor when the county government dumped rubbish on his Machakos property.
The governor has been ordered by the Environment and Lands court to be arrested unless he pays the businessman Ksh5.5 million.
Mutua added that the county government’s lawyers had filed a motion in court to overturn the arrest warrants since he is willing to pay the court’s set amount.
“The county lawyers who have been dealing with this matter are moving to court under certificate of urgency to set the orders aside. This is because the county is willing to pay, once funds are available,” Mutua stated.
“As Governor, I’m not liable for the mistakes of commission or omission of officers in the county government,” he stated.
