Lawyers Danstan Omari and Cliff Ombeta on Monday, April 15, announced that they would no longer represent former Sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa in an extortion case.
Omari stated that he would no longer be involved in handling the case and formally notified the Directorate of Criminal Investigations of their disassociation from Echesa’s legal proceedings.
“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 faces accusations of extorting Ksh250 million from Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa, a charge he vehemently denies. The withdrawal of legal representation comes shortly after Echesa publicly accused Farouk Kibet, a personal aide to President William Ruto, of being involved in his arrest.
Addressing a gathering in Kakamega, Echesa suggested that Governor Fernandes Barasa could not have orchestrated his arrest without the assistance 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.”