• Police rushed to the home in Hardy and realized the drone had flown back to the DP’s neighbour who is a British national and resides there.
• Teams from Anti-Terror Police (ATPU), DCI and National Intelligence Service (NIS) arrived at the home and took possession of the gadget.
Nairobi regional police commander Augustine Nthumbi speaks to journalists on the grilling of a British national whose drone strayed into DP William Ruto's Karen residence.
There was panic and fear at the private residence of Deputy President William Ruto when a drone strayed there hovering for minutes before it vanished.
This forced Ruto’s wife Rachael to call the police and inform them of the developments.
Police rushed to the home in Hardy and realized the drone had flown back to the DP’s neighbour who is a British national and resides there.
The foreigner identified as Heids Jeremy was traced and questioned before he surrendered the drone.
Nairobi police boss Augustine Nthumbi allayed fears the drone was a danger to the DP and his family.
The DP was not at his home at the time of the incident. The incident happened on Monday evening at about 3 pm.
“It strayed into the compound in Hardy. She called the police and responded very fast and confiscated the drone. Investigations are ongoing,” said Nthumbi.
Teams from Anti-Terror Police (ATPU), Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and National Intelligence Service (NIS) arrived at the home and took possession of the gadget.
They are analyzing the memory cards recovered from the drone to see if it has any useful information to their probe.
Jeremy was summoned by police on Tuesday for grilling. The team asked him to explain the mission of the drone and he explained it had been brought there by visitors who had come to his house.
“He says the gadget was brought to his house by visitors who wanted to take pictures of his new home there as a present to him. Nothing more so far,” said Nthumbi.
Jeremy said he has been staying there for more than three years and knows the DP as his neighbour.
The man was still being grilled before police could decide the way forward.
Police said they had realized owners had registered the device but did not know it is wrong to fly it on private premises.
The decision by police to go public on the incident was informed by concerns from some quarters who felt it was not being given the needed attention.
Nthumbi however said there was no cause for panic on the security of the DP and his family.
“There is no cause for panic at all. All is well,” he said at a press briefing on Tuesday.