Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on Friday arrested police officer Hiram Kimathi at his residential house in the Kambakia area of Makutano, Meru County.
It is not clear if Kimathi is still a serving police
officer. He had declined a transfer to Turkana in a standoff.
His arrest is in relation to claims that he and two others
formed an anti-police brutality group dubbed Fighting Brutality and
Impunity (FBI).
The other leaders - Jackson Kuria Kimani alias Cop Shakur
and former Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) officer Patrick Osoi – are also
already in custody.
A court ordered they be detained for 14 days pending
investigations into various claims of terrorism.
DCI officers backed by local police camped at Kimathi’s
residence since mid-morning before he willingly came out.
He was handcuffed and put into a Subaru before being driven
away.
He is expected in court on Monday, police said.
The police said they had been looking for Kimathi over the
issue to face charges under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2012, and for
being in possession of a firearm, among other offences.
Kimathi's lawyer, Dan Kiruai, said they had not been informed
of the crime committed or which police station he was being taken to.
The lawyer told journalists that the event of Kimathi's arrest
might be due to his expressions against the government and police brutality.
He argued that these actions—and those of the FBI group—fall
under freedom of expression and constitutional rights.
The arrest comes days after Osoi was
apprehended and arraigned at the Kahawa Law Court on Wednesday.
In his posts, the suspect expressed his desire to vie for the presidency in the 2027 elections through the FBI movement.
Aside from working in the KDF, Osoi is a United States Army
veteran and also claims to be a former National Intelligence Service (NIS)
officer.
According to a notice of motion filed by the DCI during his
arraignment on Wednesday, Osoi was accused of forming the FBI group alongside
Cop Shakur and Kimathi, and that they sought to recruit current and former
officers to fight 'illegal orders.'
Osoi is expected to face charges of preparing to commit a
felony, possession of a firearm, possession of ammunition without a certificate
and offences related to terrorism recruitment and facilitation.
Cop Shakur was nabbed on Wednesday when he went to the
Kahawa Law Courts to stand in solidarity with Osoi during his arraignment.
They were presented in court on Thursday, where the court
directedthat they be held for 14 days pending investigations.
They denied the claims against them.
