Police raid homes of legislators wanted for hate speech

Machakos Senator Johnstone Muthama

Nairobi: Armed police officers Tuesday morning surrounded the Nairobi home of Machakos Senator Johnstone Muthama’s home in Runda in efforts to arrest him.

Muthama is among leaders who were summoned by police for grilling over allegations of hate speech and incitement.

Suna East MP Junet Mohamed and Kitutu Masaba’s Timothy Bosire too said police went to their homes in Nairobi. Junet said he was not at home when the officers went to his house in Kileleshwa at 5am. Police later camped outside Nation Centre where Junet was in a morning breakfast show and surrounded his car in efforts to arrest him.

“Why do they want to arrest us when they have not even called us for grilling? This is impunity and police are being misused to harass us,” said Junet.

He said he planned to go to DCI on Tuesday.

Bosire said the officers went to his Karen home and asked him to accompany them to Directorate of Criminal Investigations for grilling over the accusations.

They later left for DCI headquarters together.

Muthama said the officers had cordoned all exits and entries at his Runda home and wondered what he had done to warrant that kind of action. He said he had not formally received summonses to warrant him appear before the DCI.

Police say they are also investigating claims of hate speech against the MPs Moses Kuria, Ferdinand Waititu, Kimani Ngunjiri and Aisha Jumwa.

 Waititu and Kuria appeared before DCI Monday night where they were grilled. It is not clear if there were similar raids on the homes of Jumwa and Ngunjiri.