The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is seeking to have Senator and Senior Counsel James Orengo barred from representing Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) managing director Daniel Manduku citing conflict of interest.
Through senior assistant DPP Alexander Muteti at the Mombasa High Court, the DPP said Tuesday that it is untenable to allow legislators to represent people in court yet they play oversight roles on State officers.
On his part, Mr Orengo said there is a procedure in parliament on how to deal with conflict of interest.
“Standing orders take into consideration provisions of the Constitution. As it is, there is no complaint made to Parliamentary Service Commission or the Speaker that they have breached provisions of the Constitution,” Mr Orengo argued in court.
He now wants the DPP to file a substantive application so that the issue can be dealt with holistically.
According to media reports, Manduku’s impending arrest and prosecution which has been pending for months was the reason the President had been reluctant to launch the Kisumu Port, rehabilitated at Sh3 billion.
Manduku at one time threatened to spill the beans on how Mama Ngina, ODM leader Raila Odinga and the Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho had been benefitting from his corruption scandals.
According to Manduku, the entire Sh3 billion contract for works and supply of equipment to the revamped Kisumu Port were single sourced to firms associated with Odinga.
Additionally, KPA controversially awarded a firm owned by the son of leader of opposition Raila Odinga Junior the contract for supply and installation of a Sh1.2 billion conveyor belt system at the port of Mombasa.
To protect Manduku, Raila Odinga sent James Orengo to represent him in order to protect his interests.
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