Director of Office of Prime Cabinet Secretary (OPCS) Press Service Salim Swaleh has publicly pleaded with President William Ruto to intervene in his ongoing court case.
The journalist was arrested alongside others for allegedly running an extortion ring targeting foreigners seeking favours from high ranking government officials. READ FULL STORY
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the extortion racket was planned and executed at the Kenya Railways buildings, the offices of Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi.
The prosecution alleged that Swaleh allowed a meeting to take place in his office at the Kenya Railways Headquarters, during which Otieno posed as the Chairman of the Government Delivery Unit in a bid to secure the tender.
Now, two months after the case kicked off, Swaleh is seeking to have Ruto intervene and save him from the allegations that he is facing.
In a video, the former Citizen TV and NTV news anchor said he has been trying to reach out to the president but to no success.
“I have decided to record this video because the last couple of weeks I have been trying to reach you but I have not been successful. I have sent several people to talk to you but they have not reached back
“You know you have been a father figure to me for the longest time. We’ve built an unmatched trust between us and for the last one and a half years I’ve served you with an unmatched zeal,” he said in the address to Ruto.
While breaking down, Swaleh went ahead to acknowledge that he had wronged the president, however, expressing remorse.
“I broke the trust and I’m so sorry about it, I’m truly remorseful about it. The last two months have been very difficult for me. I have been unable to even walk out because of the kind of publicity that I received,” he said.
Swaleh noted that keeping up with the court case has been challenging to him to a point that he has contemplated taking his own life.
He adds that the case has not been progressive with the prosecution saying that they are yet to get instructions on what charges to level against him and his accomplices.
“I lost everything in a blink of an eye but moreso the court process; every time I go there everybody is extorting me thinking that I have a lot of money,” he added.
Swaleh also disclosed that he has not been working since his arrest, noting that he is struggling to pay his bills and offset his loans.
“Bills are piling up, salaries stopped abruptly; I have loans. Please find it in your heart to forgive me but secondly, please help end this,” he said.
