MP Charles Jaguar back to police cells

Starehe MP Charles Njagua at a Milimani court today. He was arrested for threatening foreign traders. [Collins Kweyu, Standard]

Starehe Member of Parliament Charles ‘Jaguar’ Njagua Kanyi will spend the second night in police custody pending his bail ruling.

He is facing charges for inciting voters against foreigners and the prosecution today asked that he be detained for 14 days to allow them to complete investigations.

The prosecution claimed they had credible intelligence he was planning an attack and the 14 days will enable them obtain Subscriber Details, Line History, IMEI History, text messages (SMS) and Call Data Records (CDR) from the MP’s phone.

Magistrate Sinkiyan Tobiko ordered that he be held until tomorrow when she will rule on that application and if to release him on bail.

Where it all began

Jaguar was captured in a video telling foreigners engaged in business in his constituency to shut down and vacate the country, failure to which they will be forcefully removed.

In the video, he issued Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i with a 24-hour ultimatum to deport all Chinese nationals and other foreigners carrying out businesses in Nyamakima and Gikomba.

“We are not talking about six Chinese nationals. We are talking of hundreds of foreigners who work here (Kenya),” he said.

The utterances did not sit easy in Kenya and across her borders.

Foreign Affairs PS Macharia Kamau said Kenya deeply regrets ‘the careless and inciteful remarks’.

Government Spokesperson Cyrus Oguna called them ‘unfortunate’ and assured foreign investors that they are allowed to trade in the country and their security is guaranteed.

“We wish to state that this is not the position of the Government of the Republic of Kenya, and we denounce the comments carried in the video in the strongest terms possible,” Oguna said.

Arrest

Moments after Kenya wrote to Tanzania to disown the xenophobic remarks and before the lapse of Jaguar’s ultimatum, he was arrested.

He was picked outside Parliament Buildings by detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations and whisked to the Nairobi Area DCI offices.

The MP was grilled and spent the night at Kileleshwa Police Station. He will now spend another night on those very floors.