Mukurweini MP John Kaguchia has been arrested after an overnight standoff at Royal Media Services in Nairobi, where he spent the night as police surrounded the premises.
The legislator had appeared on a political talk show on Sunday evening, where he addressed controversial remarks he made during a weekend rally.
Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) moved in on Monday morning, ending the standoff that began after Kaguchia sought refuge inside the media house.
Tension gripped the broadcaster’s Kilimani headquarters overnight as heavily armed police officers mounted roadblocks on roads leading to the premises.
Late Sunday, Kaguchia claimed on social media that officers were waiting to arrest him, accusing the government of attempting to intimidate him.
The speed at which Mukurweini MP John Kaguchia was arrested shows that this government can work very fast when it wants to, but the problem is that the law is applied depending on who has spoken and which political side they belong to. pic.twitter.com/xV729NCIoL
— Cyprian, Is Nyakundi (@C_NyaKundiH) August 3, 2026
“After my Kiririmbi show this evening, a contingent of police have surrounded Royal Media Studios and erected roadblocks with intentions of arresting me! I will NOT BE INTIMIDATED whatsoever,” he posted.
Speaking before his arrest, Kaguchia said the police action stemmed from remarks he made during a political rally in Kieni, Nyeri County, on Saturday.
He accused government digital strategist Dennis Itumbi and pro-government lawmakers of deliberately misrepresenting his comments to portray them as inflammatory.
During the rally, Kaguchia, speaking in Kikuyu, urged Mt Kenya residents not to support President William Ruto’s 2027 re-election bid, warning that those who did would be identified and “smoked out.”
“I saw a lot of hype yesterday by the government about my political utterances that I did on Saturday in one of the political rallies, which I saw were being pushed as being inflammatory. That is an issue that falls under the purview of NCIC,” he said.
The MP also maintained that he had not received any formal summons before the operation.
“I have not received any summons. All I have received are social media posts from Itumbi and some other government-leaning MPs, which have been twisted to fit a certain narrative. I have no problem presenting myself to NCIC,” he said.
According to the broadcaster, DCI Commander Daniel Kandie led the arrest at the media house on Monday morning.
Although officers initially indicated Kaguchia would be taken to the Regional DCI offices in Milimani for questioning, he was later transferred to the DCI headquarters along Kiambu Road, where detectives are investigating allegations of hate speech and inflammatory remarks.
