Naivasha traders and a section of the Kikuyu Council of Elders yesterday condemned the "demeaning" arrest of the owners of Keroche Breweries Tabitha Karanja and her husband Joseph Karanja.
They wondered why the DCI had to use force and intimidation to arrest the couple, who have invested billions into the country.
According to the chairman of the elders, Daniel Kigochi, the arrest sent fears among investors, adding that the exercise could have been carried in a human way.
He noted that Keroche had employed hundreds of Kenyans directly and indirectly and was paying millions in tax to KRA.
“It was sickening and sad over how the DCI officers treated Mr Karanja who has been ailing for some time and we condemn KRA and DCI officers over the manner they have treated this family,” he said.
Another elder, Timothy Githogori, said they were fully behind Keroche, adding that the rate at which the current government was antagonising investors was worrying.
He wondered why the local investors were not summoned to the DCI officers like other suspects.
“Hundreds of people from the country earn their bread through Keroche Breweries and unlike other investors who hide their cash abroad we have seen the benefits of these entrepreneurs,” he said.
The sentiments were echoed by a trader, Joseph Kariuki, who said that they saw the hand of competitors in the inhumane arrest of the two.
