From TV studio to police cell: Mukurweini MP Kaguchia arrested
Witnesses said dozens of hooded police officers were deployed outside Royal Media Services studios last night, where they mounted roadblocks and stopped vehicles leaving the neighbourhood.
Mukurweini Member of Parliament (MP) John Kaguchia was today morning arrested by detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) outside the Royal Media Services headquarters in Nairobi, ending an overnight standoff after the legislator claimed police had surrounded the premises to arrest him over controversial political remarks.
The MP was taken into custody shortly after leaving the media house, where he had spent the night following allegations that security officers had laid siege to the premises and mounted roadblocks in anticipation of his arrest.
Kaguchia had remained inside the studios after appearing on Inooro TV’s Kiririmbi programme yesterday evening, insisting that he feared arrest over comments he made during the television interview.
In a social media post later that night, the lawmaker accused the police of attempting to intimidate him and vowed not to bow to pressure.
“I will not be intimidated,” Kaguchia wrote, alleging that a contingent of police officers had surrounded the Royal Media Services compound immediately after his television appearance.
By today morning, detectives moved in and arrested the MP as he exited the premises. Witnesses said he was escorted into a police vehicle after a senior police officer arrived at the station and demanded that he be produced.
The arrest is understood to be linked to investigations into alleged threatening and inciteful political remarks attributed to the legislator.
Kaguchia has recently come under sharp criticism over statements in which he allegedly threatened supporters of President William Ruto ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The remarks triggered widespread condemnation from political leaders and members of the public, with critics describing the language as inflammatory, reckless and inconsistent with democratic principles.
Investigators are expected to question the legislator as part of ongoing inquiries into whether his utterances contravened laws governing hate speech, incitement and threats to public order.
At the time of his arrest, Kaguchia was accompanied by Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka, who had been at the media house and walked with him as detectives took him into custody.
The MP’s legal team immediately launched efforts to establish where he had been taken and whether he would be formally charged.
His lawyers said they were pursuing the matter to determine his place of detention and the offences, if any, that police intended to prefer against him.
The overnight police operation had attracted considerable public attention, with residents and motorists reporting a heavy security presence around the Royal Media Services premises along Maalim Juma Road, off Dennis Pritt Road.
Witnesses said dozens of hooded police officers were deployed in the area last night, where they mounted roadblocks and stopped vehicles leaving the neighbourhood.
Motorists complained of delays and inconvenience as officers conducted checks on vehicles exiting the area, fueling speculation that police were preparing to arrest the MP.
