Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Nairobi today stormed the home of Naivasha lawmaker Jayne Kihara in the Maraigushu area and arrested her.
The raid was confirmed by her legal team, which includes lawyer Waithaka Mwangi and Nyandarua County Assembly Speaker Wachira Waiganjo.
The incident comes just three days after the lawmaker defied a summons from the DCI over controversial remarks she made recently.
According to a notice signed by Assistant Inspector General George Lenny Kisaka, Kihara had been ordered to appear at the DCI headquarters on Kiambu Road, Nairobi, on Monday, July 14, at 10:30 a.m.
The summons, served on Friday, are tied to investigations into what authorities describe as the dissemination of “inciteful or disruptive content”, allegedly in violation of Section 132 of the Penal Code, which criminalizes undermining the authority of a public officer.
“I hereby compel you, Hon. Jayne Njeri Wanjiku Kihara, MP for Naivasha Constituency… to appear before me… without fail,” reads part of the official notice, which the MP shared on her social media. “Failure to comply with the requisition constitutes an offence liable to prosecution,” it adds.
Kihara, a staunch ally of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, has emerged as one of the most vocal critics of President William Ruto’s government.
She recently caused a stir by calling the President “mad” over his directive to police to shoot violent protesters in the leg.
Responding to the DCI summons, the MP dismissed the move as a form of political persecution.
“The days of intimidating leaders using the criminal justice system are long gone. Summoning me to DCI headquarters tomorrow will not change Kenyans’ resolve, because this is not about Jayne Kihara—it’s about our country, Kenya,” she wrote in a Facebook post.