Reports indicate that Mohammed Abdi, who was reinstated as Wajir Governor by the High Court, now wants the National Treasury, Controller of Budget, and the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) to temporarily halt disbursement of funds to the troubled county while handover reports and preliminary audits of various projects are scrutinized.
Mohammed was impeached on May 18 for theft of funds and abuse of office. His deputy, Ali Ahmed Mukhtar, stepped in to take his place and has vowed to appeal the current verdict.
Addressing a news conference in Nairobi on Thursday, Mohammed said the freeze would not affect salaries to be paid during the period.
“The objective of this request is to preserve public funds and county resources,” Abdi said and stressed the need for an audit of the county funds since he left office.
The embattled governor announced that on March 11, he will hold his first cabinet meeting of the year to handle issues and ensure that Wajir inhabitants receive services.
Abdi urged the Senate to defend devolution and uphold constitutional issues so that service delivery in the border county and throughout the country is not disrupted.
He extended an olive branch to his deputy, Ahmed Mukhtar, who has promised to appeal the verdict and join him in serving the community.
Abdi can only enter the office 21 days after the verdict, according to the court ruling issued Wednesday, giving current governor Ahmed Mukhtar time to appeal the Meru High Court decision.