Senator fails Alco-blow and skips court
Last Saturday (March 29th) night, the Alcoblow patrol nabbed 36 people whose breath gave them away as drunk drivers, one of the culprits being a state officer, nominated Senator Joy Gwendo. In a positive move that shows the impartiality of the law, the Senator spent the night at Muthaiga Police Station.
If the Dear Doris blog’s description of Muthaiga Police station is anything to go by, the Senator may have a think about improving holding cell conditions as her next campaign promise. Alco-blow offenders are led to a dark, filthy and damp cell where they huddle together because of their sheer number and attempt in vain to get comfortable while they wait for the sun to rise.
To her credit, Senator Gwendo complied fully with the officials and handed herself in with no fuss. In a belated show of loyalty, Senators Mongare Okongo of Nyamira and Nairobi’s Mike Sonko rushed to bail out their colleague but were informed she had bailed herself out earlier. Outgoing Traffic Commandant Samuel Kimaru said of the incident, “We are not sparing anyone in enforcing the law; anyone found driving under the influence of alcohol will have to face the law.”
The Senator was released on Sunday morning with a cash bail of KES. 10,000 and was expected to appear in court yesterday. Unfortunately, the she failed to appear and instead sent her lawyer Johnson Ogonga prompting questions of whether there is preferential treatment for politicians. Her lawyer pleaded guilty on her behalf and she was fined KES. 20,000. Senator Gwendo told the press that she could not attend because she had other engagements at the Dutch Embassy.
By Amal Mohamed
