Isiolo County Assembly Speaker Mohamed Roba Arrested Amid Intensifying Leadership Crisis
Isiolo County Assembly Speaker Mohamed Roba was arrested early Tuesday morning, June 24, as political tensions continue to escalate in the county’s leadership. The arrest adds fuel to an already volatile situation surrounding a planned impeachment motion against Governor Abdi Guyo.
Roba was taken into custody from a hotel in Machakos, where he had been staying. He was immediately escorted to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) offices in Machakos County.
Several Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) who are known allies of Roba also appeared at the DCI offices in solidarity with the Speaker. Reports indicate that the MCAs had been staying with Roba at the hotel prior to his arrest.
Although the exact reason for the Speaker’s arrest remains unclear, Roba had hinted at possible trouble the night before in a strongly worded Facebook post.
In the post, he claimed that authorities were targeting him and accused a top DCI official of orchestrating a plan to harass him.
“The DCI boss has sent his officers to disarm me. If anything happens to me, he and his friend should be held responsible,” Roba wrote on his Facebook page.
The Speaker also suggested that the motive behind his arrest was personal, tracing it back to his past association with former DCI Director George Kinoti.
Roba claimed that the arrest was part of a long-standing vendetta. “You blamed me for things I had no control over, but I refuse to be bullied. I am made of steel, and you will be ashamed of your actions,” he added in the same post.
After spending several hours in custody, Roba recorded a statement under the supervision of DCI officer Nzioka Singi. He was later released on police bail of Ksh. 100,000 but was ordered to return to the DCI offices as investigations proceed.
The arrest of Speaker Roba comes at a time when political drama in Isiolo County is reaching new heights. Roba has been a key figure in an impeachment motion targeting Governor Abdi Guyo. Out of the 18 MCAs in the County Assembly, 16 have shown support for the motion.
However, many of them have expressed growing concerns over their safety, especially after recent chaotic events at the assembly.
There have been rumors circulating that Roba had resigned from his position—claims which he firmly denied on Wednesday, June 18. In an official statement, the Speaker dismissed the resignation claims as baseless, fake, and meant only to mislead the public during a sensitive period.
In his Monday night Facebook post, Roba alleged that his arrest was a deliberate attempt to obstruct the impeachment motion against Governor Guyo.
The motion was scheduled to be debated in the County Assembly on Thursday, June 26, and Roba suggested that powerful forces were trying to block the process through intimidation and distractions.
Chaos recently erupted at the County Assembly as a large group of unidentified individuals, some reportedly carrying weapons, tried to force their way into the chamber.
This caused panic among MCAs, who accused Governor Guyo of hiring the goons to interfere with the assembly’s business. The presence of the intruders caused the day’s session to be disrupted and raised fears over the security of elected leaders.
The unfolding drama took place shortly after a planned public participation meeting on the impeachment motion was abruptly cancelled. The cancellation came following a conservatory order issued by the High Court that temporarily halted the impeachment process initiated by the MCAs.
Isiolo County’s political environment is currently filled with uncertainty and tension, as leaders and residents watch closely to see how the situation will unfold in the coming days.
The arrest of the Speaker and the ongoing attempts to impeach the governor have thrown the county into a state of confusion, with both sides accusing each other of using dirty tactics to gain control.
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