Security officials staged a high-profile raid on businessman Jimi Wanjigi’s Muthaiga residence in Nairobi on Thursday, seeking his arrest over alleged involvement in anti-government protests.
The operation, mounted in the late afternoon, followed allegations that Wanjigi was financing youth to take part in the widely anticipated Nane Nane protests.
As the raid got under way, a visibly distressed Wanjigi said he was unaware of the reasons behind the police action.
“The police are outside the house and want to take me or kill me,” he said.
Conversely to his demands for them to explain why they wanted to enter his property, the police simply said that they had been informed that he was dispensing cash to youths on Limuru Road.
When confronted, Wanjigi is said to have fled, evaded capture after a chase, and disappeared into Karura Forest.
Confirming the incident , Acting Inspector General Gilbert Masengeli said, “We intercepted a motor vehicle at the residence of Jimi Wanjigi and recovered several exhibits including four grenades. A total of 174 suspects were arrested.”
However, contrary to these claims, Wanjigi dismissed the reports of the illegal activity and the legality involved in the activity he was doing, including the operation by the police.
By 4.20pm, the raid had intensified as more officers arrived, with Wanjigi reading mischief in the whole operation that to him was nothing short of harassment.
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He said his stance on the protests, which he maintained were genuine expression of public discontent, won’t be as shaken by the day’s events where he came face-to-face with forces of the same government he had supported in the run-up to the last elections.
This becomes the second time that his house has been subjected to such dramatic police action. In 2017, Wanjigi’s residence was raided in an operation that sprawled for more than 48 hours.
The businessman condemned that earlier raid as “absolute persecution” and claimed that in the operation, his wife, Irene Nzisa Wanjigi, was assaulted by police officers while documenting the damage and destruction within their home.
As the standoff continued, Wanjigi stood his ground as he was heard speaking against the government and questioning major accountability issues such as the national debt.
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