Lawyers Danstan Omari and Cliff Ombeta made a significant announcement on Monday, April 15, stating that they would be stepping down from their roles as legal representatives for former Sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa in an extortion case.
Omari clarified that he would no longer be involved in handling the case and subsequently sent a letter to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to formally disassociate himself and Ombeta from the extortion allegations.
“Kindly note that we are no longer acting for the above-named person. Any communication with regards to him should be directed to him or his representatives,” the letter read in part.
Echesa stands accused of extorting Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa of Ksh250 million, a charge he vehemently denies. The decision to withdraw from representing Echesa comes shortly after he publicly accused Farouk Kibet, a personal aide to President William Ruto, of orchestrating his arrest.
During an address to a gathering in Kakamega, Echesa insinuated that it would have been improbable for Governor Fernandes Barasa to orchestrate his arrest without the involvement of influential individuals within the government.
“The person who helped Fernandes Barasa to have me arrested is my friend Farouk Kibet whom we campaigned together for President William Ruto,” Echesa lamented.
“I want to tell Farouk that he has been given a powerful position by the President and he should not use it to intimidate me.”
