Linturi faces arrest for snubbing DCI summons twice
Meru Senator Mithika Linturi now faces arrest after snubbing summons by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations for the second time.
Linturi, who had first been scheduled to appear before DCI on Tuesday in relation to his alleged fake degree, was rescheduled to appear yesterday alongside Machakos governor candidate Wavinya Ndeti.
But yesterday, while Wavinya turned up at the DCI headquarters, Linturi gave it a wide berth, prompting detectives to mull moving to court to seek a warrant of arrest.
“It is the only available option for us. We shall move to court to get warrant of arrest against him,” head of Serious Crimes Unit Obadiah Kuria said.
Linturi (pictured) has been fighting a petition filed by a voter, Michael Makarena, seeking to compel police and Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission to arrest and arraign him over alleged fake university papers.
Makarena claims Linturi forged a Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education certificate and thereafter, knowingly provided misleading and false information to the Independent Election and Boundaries Commission and the execution of false declaration forms.
The voter claims Linturi forged academic documents from Marathwada University, now known as Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University in Aurangabad, Maharashtra State, India.
Linturi used the Indian certificate, a bachelor of Commerce degree in advanced Accounting and Auditing to get admission to the University of Nairobi.
Fake credentials
The voter claimed Linturi is unfit to run for governor because his university academic qualifications are questionable.
In May, 2018, Linturi secured a court order stopping police and EACC from arresting, prosecuting or declaring him unfit to hold public office over allegations of fake academic credentials. The orders are still active.
Wavinya who turned up at Mazingira House at around 9.25 am and left around 12.05pm, is being questioned over how she acquired a master’s degree without an undergraduate degree.
Wavinya, who was this week cleared by IEBC to vie for the seat, is reported to have acquired the master’s degree after a 10-month study.
She, has, however, explained that she was able to pursue her master’s before undergraduate degree because she studied in the UK, whose education system is far much different from Kenya’s.
Yesterday, Wavinya told journalists that detectives were satisfied with her explanation.
