Mavoko Member of Parliament (MP) Patrick Makau has been arrested.
Reports show that the lawmaker was arrested in the wee hours of Thursday, July 13, 2023, after police raided his home in Karen, Nairobi at around 4 am.
He was later escorted to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI)’s offices in Kiambu.
Patrick Makau, who was elected on a Wiper Party ticket, is linked to Wednesday’s protest violent activities that saw the Mlolongo toll station of the Nairobi Expressway massively destroyed.
The toll station was among three that were closed temporarily to avoid further damage.
This comes amid a warning by Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration Kithure Kindiki who vowed to arrest and punish the leaders, organisers and financiers of Wednesday’s demonstrations.
In a press statement, Kindiki said the government has mobilised all law enforcement agencies to investigate, arrest and prosecute those involved in the planning and execution of the crimes allegedly committed during the demonstrations, putting Azimio leaders on notice.
“This culture of impunity will stop,” Kindiki warned. “All those who took part, directly or indirectly, in today’s well-orchestrated violation of public safety and security of our nation shall be punished,” he said.
According to Kindiki, the leaders behind what he described as an “orgy of violence and destruction” were working at the behest of politicians allied to Azimio leader Raila Odinga. He blamed Raila for the high cost of living, saying that he was to blame for the excesses in government after the 2017 election that resulted in a huge national debt and an upsurge in the cost of living.
According to some media outlets, the protests left at least eight people dead in Nairobi Today.
