Nandi Governor Stephen Sang on Monday resurfaced after three days of controversial and political theatrics that allegedly had him hiding from an impending police arrest.
In a press statement on Sunday, Governor Sang, whom reports had indicated that he had been arrested in Kisumu, dismissed the claims, adding that he had taken an off to be with his family.
"The governor took a day off to be with his family. He has not seen any summons from authorities so far. He is a law abiding citizen and will voluntarily report to the station should there be such a directive," read the statement.
Behind the controversy is a 4-acre piece of land at Kaburet which he descended on Friday with power saw and bulldozers in the company of hundreds of residents. Mr Sang accused unnamed private developer of grabbing the land.
Even with claims that he had run away, Sang surfaced at the County Government of Nandi offices on Monday where he dismissed claims that he was on the run. He defended his actions adding that the court had ruled in favour of the public.
"I want to thank you for coming. I am shocked that you can turn up in large numbers. When I took office, I vowed to pursue the interest of the people. We promised to take over grabbed lands," he said.
"The National Land Commission came here and even the court ruled in our favor. We started here in Kapsabet and Nandi Hills. The Kaburet land belongs to people. We have documents to prove it," he said amid cheers.
His supporters kept cheering him in his 15-minute speech. He said the process of reclaiming public land is still ongoing, adding that nobody will frustrate his efforts.
There were reports that the land in question had been grabbed by a former powerful minister from the region. The ex-minister is said to be eyeing gubernatorial seat in 2022.