Polish national who flew drone into DP Ruto's home out on Sh200,000 bail

A  Pole who flew a drone into Deputy President William Ruto’s home has been released on Sh200,000 bail.

Piotr Lukasz Litwiniuk (pictured) has denied the charges.

Nairobi County Police Commander Augustine Nthumbi said Ruto’s wife Rachel reported seeing the drone capturing events at the compound.

Last week, his lawyer said Litwiniuk, who was in Kenya for holiday, was looking to have the charges dropped.

Investigations by police show that the man arrived in the country on March 7 on a three-month tourist Visa. Since then, he has been to Diani, Kwale visiting friends.

The Anti-terrorism Unit of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officers have, however, ruled out the possibility of the man being charged with terrorism-related charges.

The drone at the DP's official Karen residence was found with several multi-event data storage cards, as investigators continue to sieve through the captured footage.

The charges include importation and operating an unmanned aircraft system without a permit and authorisation from the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA).

The incident comes just months after the deputy president’s allies, led by Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen and Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana, claimed that their homes were being spied on by drones. 

According to KCAA, flying a drone is legal in Kenya, but the operator requires to comply with the set regulations. He/she must be at least 18 years old and should have a company registered in Kenya. No one is allowed to operate an Unmanned Aircraft System over a public road at a distance of less than 50 metres.