Mukurweini MP John Kaguchia has explained why he spent the night inside the Royal Media Services premises before he was arrested on Monday morning and driven to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters for questioning.
The legislator said he chose not to leave the media house after learning that armed, hooded and masked men were waiting outside to arrest him, insisting that the manner in which the operation was being conducted raised fears for his safety.
Kaguchia was arrested outside the Royal Media Services studios after spending the night inside the premises, where he had sought refuge following the arrival of security officers.
Speaking in an interview while still inside the media house before his arrest, the MP said he had no objection to being questioned by authorities, but wanted any arrest to be conducted in accordance with the law.
“The constitutional way of being arrested in Kenya is by being summoned and arrested by uniformed policemen and that must also be done under clear circumstances,” he said.
“An arrest which is done by hooded, masked armed men – more than 40 of them, more than 15 Subarus and double cabs, and then this is being executed at night is definitely something which is suspect.”
Kaguchia said the circumstances surrounding the attempted arrest were particularly alarming given recent reports of abductions and enforced disappearances in the country.
“Considering that we are in this country where we have abductions and forced disappearances, you would expect that I would definitely be alarmed and that’s why I refused to walk into that trap and I have stayed here overnight,” he said.
“They continue building that contingent.”
The MP maintained that he is a law-abiding citizen who is willing to cooperate with investigators if required.
“If there is anything that government has on me, I’m not fearful of presenting myself to authorities to answer any question that might be on me in whichever way but not through unprocedural means,” he said.
Asked whether he knew why security agencies were looking for him, Kaguchia linked the matter to remarks he made at a political rally on Saturday, which he said had been portrayed as inflammatory.
“I saw a post yesterday (Sunday) by the government structures and machinery on my political utterances that I did on Saturday in one of the political rallies, which I saw were being pushed as being inflammatory,” he said.
Kaguchia argued that complaints over alleged hate speech or inflammatory remarks fall within the mandate of the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC), but he had not received any summons from the commission.
“That’s an issue that falls under the purview of the NCIC as a commission and that’s an independent commission. I have not received any summons from them. All I have seen is social media posts which of course were also twisted.”
The MP claimed that the posts circulating on social media had misrepresented his remarks to fit a particular narrative.
Asked whether he knew who were circulating the posts, he said: “Social media posts from Itumbi and some of the other government-leaning MPs, particularly from Nyeri and Mt Kenya region.”
The legislator reiterated that he had no problem appearing before the NCIC if formally required to do so.
He also said he had not received any communication from any authority regarding either his alleged inflammatory remarks or plans to arrest him.
“But as you can see, they are here and they are looking for me,” he said.
“The only thing that I can confirm is that I’m not going to present myself to these hooded men. If an arrest has to be done, or if in any way, I’m required by the authorities, let this be done under clear circumstances, in a legal manner that’s clearly understandable to all so that if it’s going to court, then I can be presented to a court of law then I will have my day in court.”
The MP was later arrested outside the Royal Media Services studios after a senior police officer reportedly went to the station and demanded that he be produced.
He was subsequently escorted to the DCI headquarters along Kiambu Road for grilling over the remarks he allegedly made during a political rally.
