Meru hotel, business chamber demand IPOA probe into police raid on FKF meeting

RDU officers escorting FKF Vice president MacDonald Mariga as he arrived at Three Steers hotel in Meru, the venue for FKF Special General Meeting on November 07, 2026. [Stafford Ondego, Standard]

The faint smell of tear gas still hangs in the conference hall of Three Steers Hotel in Meru, four days after a chaotic Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Special General Meeting (SGM) at the venue.

The meeting, presided over by FKF President Hussein Mohammed, ended with the expulsion of Vice President McDonald Mariga and six other National Executive Committee members.

The Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) Meru Chairman Joshua Mungania and CEO Kiogora Mbui joined the hotel’s management in asking the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) to investigate how a police unit came to storm the event and cause extensive damage. The hotel’s Managing Director Muthuri Mwega, Director Florence Muthuri and General Manager James Kithinji were also present.

During the meeting, police officers from outside Meru stormed the hotel and dispersed delegates, FKF officials and guests. They left after local police, accompanied by Meru County Commissioner George Omollo and County Police Commander Moses Mutisya, arrived, took charge and allowed the SGM to proceed.

Mungania condemned the raid and said private businesses should expect protection from the government.

“When the police and the goons came to this compound, they harassed the staff, the directors and the guests of this hotel just because they (FKF factions) had their issues. The hotel was booked by FKF delegates. Unfortunately, there were two teams. One team came with many policemen who were hooded, and goons,” he said.

“They came and started harassing everybody, including guests who were sleeping in their rooms. There were massive losses. Most of the customers who were here left without paying their bills.”

Mwega, who has run the hotel for 26 years, said he was away on Saturday and returned to find chaos. Police had stormed the premises and thrown tear gas canisters that affected visitors, residents and staff, he said. Seats in the conference hall were burnt, and other sections of the complex were damaged.

“There was a wedding here, but they checked out fearing for their safety, yet they had booked for the night. We had to refund them. This place looked like an Al-Shabaab zone. They (police) were masked, and we want to know who authorised the unit. We are going to take legal action,” he said.

Muthuri said the hotel had received no bookings since Saturday, despite having been full. It has 118 rooms.

“I got shocked on Saturday. We had a wedding and other guests who were forced to move out. Nobody returned. From that day we have not received anybody for accommodation. We have a swimming pool where children come to swim, but it’s not being used,” she said. She said the hotel’s lawyer would claim all damages. “The government has to take action.”

Kithinji questioned who had deployed such a large contingent of a special police unit. “That deployment was unnecessary,” he said.