Impeached Wajir Governor Mohammed Abdi, through his lawyers Paul Nyamodi and Ndegwa Njiru, on Wednesday opposed a request by the county assembly to summon his family members to testify in the case.
"As a matter of law, where as the three witnesses may be competent to testify against the governor, they are not compellable," Nyamodi said.
This is after the assembly's representative - Senior Counsel Ahmednasir Abdullahi - asked the Senate committee probing Abdi's ouster to summon the governor's wife and two children to testify in the case.
Abdullahi said Khaire Omar, Abdi's wife, and Yussuf Abdi and Barhiya Abdi, his son and daughter respectively, are critical in the case.
Abdullahi also wanted one Osman Abdi Jimale summoned, arguing that he has been a signatory and beneficiary of nearly all contracts awarded by the county government.
"The county assembly's case revolved around the Governor's family. The governor and his wife and children have played a critical role in degradation of governance in Wajir county,'" the senior counsel said.
However, Abdi's lawyer, Njiru, said the county assembly is on a fishing expedition.
"If we are to summon the family to testify against their father, the legal and social question is the future of cohesiveness of the family?" Njiru posed.
The governor's lawyers also rejected the request by the county assembly to provide a new affidavit by a witnesses. They said the governor has not seen the new evidence and thus it is prejudicial to the county chief who is fighting for his governorship.
