This archive report was first published on 30 July 2020.
On July 30, 2020, the High Court in Kenya delivered a significant ruling in favor of Kandara Member of Parliament Alice Wahome, ordering the Inspector General of Police, Hillary Mutyambai, to restore her security officers.
The court's decision came after MP Wahome petitioned the court, alleging that the withdrawal of her bodyguards was illegal, unconstitutional, and aimed at intimidating her into changing her stance on bad governance and her political beliefs.
Justice James Makau ruled that the Inspector General had no right to withdraw MP Wahome's security without informing her of the reason for the move, and that there was no evidence to suggest that she had committed any crime warranting the withdrawal of her security officers.
According to the judge, the mere allegation that MP Wahome committed an electoral offense by harassing an election official was not sufficient to justify the withdrawal of her security.
MP Wahome had argued that the withdrawal of her security threatened her safety and exposed her to security risks, as she had enjoyed security since being elected to Parliament in 2013.
The Inspector General, through Director of Operations Henry Borma, had claimed that MP Wahome committed an electoral offense by harassing an election officer, but the court found this claim to be unsubstantiated.
