'I knew I would not survive': Baringo man recounts ordeal after arrest over TikTok posts

The main entrance of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters located along Kiambu Road. [File, Standard]

A Baringo man arrested by detectives has been released.

Vincent Kipsang was arrested on Sunday at his shop at Sewage area, near Kabarnet town, by officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations in Nairobi over allegations he had defamed powerful people who ordered his arrest.

He said the officers ordered him to close the shop and accompany them.

Kipsang said he was driven to DCI headquarters in Kabarnet, where he was booked and asked to call his family and was informed they would proceed to Nairobi's Muthaiga police station.

The officers, he said, questioned him over a post he made on social media.

“They told me that they were ordered to take me to Muthaiga Police Station. The journey to Nairobi was tense. The speed the driver drove made me scared. At some point, I knew I would not survive,” Kipsang added.

Upon arriving at Naivasha, the officers, he said, were kind enough to get him food and talk in a friendly manner.

They arrived at Muthaiga Police Station at around midnight. He said he was booked and told to sleep until noon, where he was ferried to DCI headquarters to record statements regarding his TikTok posts.

At DCI headquarters, he said the officers were generous as they offered him a cup of tea as they questioned him.

They confiscated his phones. Kipsang claimed that the officers wanted to know who was sponsoring his content.

“I told the officers that I joined Democracy for the Citizen Party (DCP) after a fallout with UDA, where they failed to fulfill the promises made to me during the 2022 general elections. I was a strong supporter of UDA,” he said.

He claimed to have expressed his displeasure, which agitated him.

He was taken back to Muthaiga for clearance, allegedly, and later to DCI headquarters where he was given transport.

“One officer gave me Sh3,000, took me to the bus station as I boarded a vehicle, they waited until the vehicle left, but promised that I should call them when I alight,” he added.

The issues of contention, he claimed, were general content he had posted, claiming was political.

“I spoke to the officers, and I don’t have a problem with UDA, but the promises made were unbroken, so posting the content, I knew it was going to bite me at some point,” he added.

His cooperation, he said, had mesmerised the officers.

He claimed he wasn’t hurt in any way by the officers.

He said he was joyous for the freedom.

“I apologized to the Cabinet Secretary, Interior Kipchumba Murkomen, for the content I produced. I did it due to bitterness towards the UDA party,” he added.

His wife Angela Chesang is excited following the release of her husband.