Mombasa Governor Ali Joho has given the Inspector General of police Joseph Boinnet 24 hours to restore his security detail or face a law suit.
Through his lawyer, Joho says the withdrawal of his security detail was illegal and unconstitutional.
Joho and his Kilifi counterpart Amason Kingi’s security detail was withdrawn last Friday, eliciting sharp reaction from the council of governors who have moved to court.
However, the government through statehouse spokesperson Manoah Esipisu has defended the move, saying it was a reorganization of the VIP protection programme, and was in no way political.
The matter escalated further on Monday when Kilifi County Assembly speaker Jimmy Kahindi’s security detail was also withdrawn and ordered back to their respective stations.
Many Kenyans and leaders alike have linked the happenings to last week’s public spat between President Kenyatta and the two leaders, where they accused the government of riding on projects that they did not initiate.
This is not the first time Joho and Kingi have found themselves in a similar situation, having lost their security details last year, after the Malindi by elections.