It's despicable! Wanjigi's lawyer Khaminwa speaks on his arrest

Businessman Jimi Wanjigi on Monday appeared at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations offices after police had summoned him for questioning over the Nane Nane protests.

However, hours after he arrived at the station, Wanjigi was arrested and detained at Kamukunji police station.

One of his lawyers, John Khaminwa expressed his dissatisfaction with the arrest.

Khaminwa said Wanjigi consulted on being summoned and he was advised to honour the summon.

He added that Wanjigi complied with the summons to find out why the police wanted to see him.

"To me who has been at the law for a long time, what is happening is despicable, that is not the way justice should be administered at all," Khaminwa said.

Wanjigi had moved to court where he obtained orders stopping his arrest.

The court on August 16 extended the orders stopping the police from arresting him.

Justice Bahati Mwamuye extended the order to September 19 but at the same time said he could not issue an order stopping any registration of a charge sheet against Wanjigi.

While addressing the press on Monday, Khaminwa said the country is going back to the era of 'arbitrary' arrests.

"Those orders are still in force but what is happening now is despicable. The things happening are those which used to happen during past administrations which I thought as a country we have now got over, but it appears as if we are going back to that era," Khaminwa added.

At around 4.20 pm on Monday, Wanjigi posted on his X account saying police were detaining him.

“The DCI has illegally arrested me despite numerous court orders barring the same arrest,” he said.

Police had on August 8, tried to arrest him at his Muthaiga house in vain.

Earlier, as Wanjigi arrived at the station, there was a brief altercation with the police.

Wanjigi got out of the car to address the media but the police refused saying he should get in the station first.

One of the officers approached Wanjigi and asked him to get into the car and proceed to the station.

Wanjigi answered saying he should be respected and not ordered around. He added that he would go to the station at his own will.

"Ingia kwa gari, we respect you mheshimiwa, ingia ka gari," the police officer said.

Wanjigi replied: "Do not order me or touch me, do you understand? Have respect. I will go in at my own will. No, and what if I don't enter? There is nothing like that, have respect."

The police officer insisted that Wanjigi should get into the car as people who had accompanied him defended him saying he should not be forced to enter the car.

"Don't order me, keep quiet, keep quiet," Wanjigi said while entering his car.

"We are not ordering you," the officer replied.