Africa-Press – Kenya. Former police spokesperson Charles Owino’s application for early retirement was rejected, the Star has learnt.
The revelations emerged on Wednesday after Owino formally dropped his interest in the Siaya County deputy governor’s seat.
He is set to return to the National Police Service for redeployment, officials said.
The National Police Service Commission is said to have informed Owino that his application for retirement had been rejected last month throwing his campaigns into confusion.
Owino has since then not been campaigning alongside the candidate for United Democratic Movement (UDM) party Nicholas Gumbo.
UDM Secretary-General David Ohito said Owino had formally informed the party of the decision to quit the race.
“He served the party with the letter to quit the race. Yes, it is true,” he said.
The party then started the process of replacing Owino in the party and had identified three candidates including Ohito, former Mombasa Town Clerk Tabman Otieno and a Mr Baraza.
Owino did not respond to our queries.
Commission chairman Eliud Kinuthia too refused to comment on the issue.
The move by Owino has been in the works after he was informed of the NPSC decision.
This was said to have been influenced by some officials in government who did not want him to run as he was unsettling some candidates including now the favorite James Orengo who is the area senator.
Owino had initially been campaigning to be the candidate for ODM in the area but dropped and opted for the deputy governor’s position.
This was after he and others thought they would not get the party ticket.
Owino in March 2022 shelved his bid and declared he would be Gumbo’s running mate in the race.
The two leaders joined UDM party and were received by party leader Ali Roba, who is the Mandera County governor and Senatorial aspirant.
Gumbo, on the other hand was set to seek the seat on Ugenya MP David Ochieng’s Movement for Democracy and Growth (MDG) party.
The intrigues around Owino’s move to return to the service had unsettled some officials within who opposed it.
They argued it was untenable for him to return as he had been “tainted by politics”.
But after days of debate, talks and pressure he was allowed to go back amid claims he would be redeployed elsewhere in the government.
There were other claims he would be deployed to police headquarters.
“If things go well as planned he is destined for a bigger office,” said an official aware of the plans.
He was seen as a steadfast and independent thinker in the service and at times rattled many including his bosses.
He had hit the past 50 years and was allowed to retire under a clause that allows police officers to retire after either 12, or 21 years of service or the past 50 years.
He is a career police officer and businessman.
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