Hours after embattled Pokot South MP David Pkosing was arrested by detectives from the Serious Crimes Unit on claims of funding banditry in the North Rift region, the lawmaker has come out to deny the allegations and defend his links to youths that were recently accused of cattle rustling.
Speaking Friday at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) offices on Kiambu Road, Mr Pkosing said he reads mischief in police requiring him to be in Nairobi during an ongoing security operation to flush out bandits back home.
“Why am I the only leader being arrested ...There were several leaders who are also suspected of being involved ... why only me?” he asked.
While denying claims of being involved in banditry, he defended paying bail for seven suspects arraigned before Kitale Law Courts over involvement in banditry, claiming that they were themselves victims. The suspects had been released on cash bail by the court. After Mr Pkosing paid their bail and facilitated their transport from Kitale to West Pokot in a helicopter.
“I do not see where I have broken any law. They are victims, and the court ordered their release, and I only helped them by virtue of being a leader. Now I am tagged a criminal,” he said on Friday while alleging that the seven were wrongfully arrested.
"I am pained because I came here yesterday and was asked why I helped in bailing out seven people. These people are those who lost their 200 cattle on February 2 and were wrongly arrested,” he said.
His lawyer Danstan Omari, who had escorted the lawmaker to the DCI headquarters alongside other West Pokot leaders, said they had been informed that the police were investigating Mr Pkosing for alleged commercialisation of banditry, money laundering and to establish whether he is a beneficiary of banditry.
“The government does not know what it is looking for. This is a political witch-hunt against Pkosing,” he said.
This will be the third time he has visited the DCI offices since Thursday night when he was arrested in Nairobi and driven to Kiambu Road for interrogation by detectives from the Serious Crimes Unit. He was accompanied by several leaders from the region, including MPs Titus Lotee (Kacheliba), Peter Lochakapon (Sigor), Rael Aleutum (West Pokot woman rep) and Senator Julius Murgor.
He was questioned until 10:30pm, released to go home and then went back to DCI offices on Friday morning, only to be summoned again to appear before detectives at 4pm.
Mr Omari had earlier denied claims that the MP owned the white helicopter that is suspected to be ferrying weapons to bandits in the troubled Rift Valley region.
The helicopter has been mentioned in numerous security meetings, with residents and police reservists claiming it usually lands in the bandits’ hideout in Baringo South. Residents claim that whenever the helicopter is sighted, bandit attacks follow soon after.
"Mr Pkosing has never owned a white helicopter. He has given the investigating officers his version of the story and has never owned the white chopper allegedly arming the bandits. He has accounted for all the days since this issue started," Mr Omari said.
