THE decision by the Prison Department to recall officers seconded to guard VIPs popped up on the floor of the Senate yesterday, with a senator demanding a statement from the government.

West Pokot Senator John Lonyangapuo demanded that the government explains why senators' security was withdrawn.

"In the statement, the government must explain what informed the action and whether the decision can be reversed," he said.

The chairman of the Committee on National Security Yusuf Haji will deliver the statement on the matter in two weeks.

This came as a senator allied to Cord told the Star yesterday that former Prime Minister Raila Odinga's driver was humiliated before being recalled by the department.

According to the senator who chose to speak off record, the driver was summoned to the CID headquarters last week.

He was asked why he served Raila for 14 years

"He said he serves on instructions from his bosses. He said he had been deployed to Raila officially through a letter and he had not been served with another letter deploying him to another assignment," said the senator.

The driver is said to have been asked to go back and ensure that he regularly briefs his bosses his destination.

The order recalling the officers was issued on Saturday last week through a signal relayed to the officers from the Prison headquarters.

Apart from the bodyguards the orders also affects prison officers who act as drivers for various VIPs.

Others affected by the order are senators Otieno Kajwang and Janet Ong'era.

Yesterday, Ongera complained that she only woke on Saturday last week to find her bodyguard gone.

"I don't know whether they have been withdrawn or not. No one bothered to notify me. I just woke up to find them gone," she said.

As a state officer, the Senator said, she found the arbitrariness of the order to be rude and worrying and asked those concerned to have the courtesy to inform her.

"I am worried of my security and i am shocked that as a state officer no one bothered to inform me," she said.

She linked the withdrawal of her security to last week's incident in Kisii county where some government agents were heckled during an interdenominational mass for the victims of a road accident that killed over 20 school students.

When contacted the Prison Commissioner Isaiah Osugo refused to comment on the matter.

"I can't comment on that. Such things are routine. We recall officers from one beat to the other and send others out. It happens daily," he said without elaborating.

The officers will now be required to perform other duties at the prisons department.

The close to 60 officers have been given up to Monday next week to report to prison headquarters for reallocation of duties.

The recall comes after the police service increased the number of police officers deployed to protect politicians and other VIPs rose from 2,000 to 5,000 after the March 4 general election.