- Previous anti-government crusades have led to arrests of many politicians, especially for incitement.
- MPs Babu Owino, George Aladwa and Junet Mohammed are among lawmakers who have previously been arrested for violating the NCIC Act.
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Korogocho MCA Absalom Odhiambo was arrested on Monday by detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations over what authorities said were inflammatory remarks.
The arrest of the MCA, a diehard supporter of opposition chief Raila Odinga, triggered protests from Azimio fraternity who dared the government to instead arrest the former Prime Minister himself.
Odhiambo, popularly known as Matach, was arrested at the National Cohesion and Integration Commission offices in Upper Hill, Nairobi, as he waited to record a statement.
He is the first casualty of the charged, anti-government rallies being spearheaded by Azimio bigwigs led by Raila.
Previous anti-government crusades have led to arrests of many politicians, especially for incitement.
MPs Babu Owino, George Aladwa and Junet Mohammed are among lawmakers who have previously been arrested for violating the NCIC Act.
The NCIC had summoned Odhiambo over the remarks he made at a political rally on Wednesday last week.
The MCA asked Raila to allow them to go to State House and forcefully eject Ruto, adding that it would take major protests to achieve that.
“I want to challenge the entire government, you know who is supposed to be arrested. Kindly arrest Raila Amollo Odinga. That is the man who tells us to go right and we go,” Nairobi county assembly majority leader Peter Imwatok said.
At the time of his arrest, Odhiambo was in the company of his his lawyer Apollo Mboya and Imwatok.
Imwatok told the press that when they arrived at NCIC offices in Upperhill, there were no officials to receive them.
“ We sat more than one hour. When the officers came they said there was no problem and they wanted to serve Matach with a summon letter to appear before them on Wednesday (February 1),” he said.
However, after leaving the officers and just outside the building, the majority leader said that they found three Subaru Foresters and officers who grabbed the Korogocho legislator and sped away.
Imwatok and Mboya said they captured the vehicle's number plates and pictures of the officers for evidence.
It later emerged that the MCA was being held at Kikuyu police station in Kiambu county.
“ We know by law that if you are arrested within Nairobi, you are taken to the nearest police station. Unfortunately, we are told that Matach is in Kiambu county and he is in Kikuyu police station and no one is allowed to see him,” Imwatok said.