Operations at the Machakos County headquarters were briefly disrupted on Tuesday after a stand-off between county inspectorate officers and a group of rowdy youths escorting comedian Sammy Kioko, who is embroiled in a dispute with the county government.

Kioko claims the county owes him Sh19 million for the alleged supply of uniforms.

What began as a peaceful march descended into chaos when the youths started chanting anti-government slogans. 

Moments later, police officers from Machakos Police Station arrived in full combat gear and arrested Kioko alongside fellow comedian Tom Daktari, before dispersing the crowd that had gathered at the premises.

By the time of publication, it was not immediately clear where the two had been taken.

The incident sparked a fierce online exchange between Kioko’s supporters and allies of Governor Wavinya Ndeti, who has maintained she does not interfere in county procurement matters.

For nearly five months, Kioko has publicly accused the county government of failing to pay a company linked to him the Sh19 million for supplying county-branded uniforms.

However, the county’s head of procurement, Patrick Mathuki, dismissed the claims, terming Kioko an imposter and insisting he is not a director of any company that has conducted business with the county.

On Monday, Machakos County Secretary Muya Ndambuki said the county had developed a structured plan to clear all verified pending bills, following a review by the Pending Bills Verification Committee set up in 2023.