Mukunji acquitted, hits out at government over saba saba crackdown

Manyatta MP Gitonga Mukunji has lashed out at the government, accusing it of undermining security and misusing State agencies to silence dissent, shortly after being acquitted of terrorism-related charges.

Speaking on Friday, September 6, following his release, the legislator alleged that hired goons were used to instill fear and disrupt peaceful protests.

“To the President, and your government, stop making this country insecure for Kenyans, with immediate effect,” Mukunji stated.

The MP, a fierce critic of the Ruto administration, further accused the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) of weaponising the law. “ODPP, you have been unable to charge me. It tells you that even the ones who have been charged, there is no case,” he added.

Mukunji’s case stemmed from his arrest during the July Saba Saba Day protests, where he was accused of incitement to violence. He was held at Kibii Police Station before being released on a Ksh300,000 cash bail.

In court, he petitioned against his arrest, terming it unlawful and politically driven. He claimed that his detention followed a failed plot to assassinate him by planting explosives in his car and framing him.

The High Court later acquitted him, ruling that the Prevention of Terrorism Act had been misapplied in his case.