Thang'wa seeks court protection following Gachagua attack

Kiambu Senator Karungo wa Thang'wa, through his lawyer Moses Mabeya, argues that actions against him are an attempt to intimidate and silence Gachagua supporters. [File, Standard]

Kiambu Senator Karungo wa Thang'wa has moved to court to block police and Director of Public Prosecutions from arresting or charging him.

This is in connection to the chaos at a burial in Limuru last week attended by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.

The senator claims the planned arrest and prosecution are politically motivated, describing them as part of a "witch hunt" targeting Gachagua allies.

In a petition filed at Milimani High Court, Thang'wa, through his lawyer Moses Mabeya, argued that actions against him were an attempt to intimidate and silence Gachagua supporters.

"The Respondents (the Inspector General of Police, the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Director of Criminal Investigations, and the Attorney General) herein are engaged in a witch hunt and abuse of power by unlawfully and illegally targeting the supporters and close associates of the former Deputy President. This appears to be an attempt to unlawfully arrest, embarrass, and intimidate them for merely exercising their constitutionally guaranteed political rights," the court papers read.

Thang'wa is seeking a conservatory order from the court against the police, DPP and the Attorney General to be restrained from taking any further action against him pending determination of the case.

He also claims the police have been given express orders to arbitrarily arrest or abduct and intimidate him. "I have received credible information from officers of the Kenya Police that they have been instructed to arrest and detain me for ulterior political motives," he stated in an affidavit.

He details an alarming encounter on the morning of November 30, 2024, where officers in unmarked vehicles trailed and blocked his car along Thika Road. He claims the officers wore face masks.

"The said officers indicated to my driver that they intend to arrest, detain, abduct, and embarrass me," Thang'wa states. He adds that he narrowly escaped by a whisker by switching vehicles at a petrol station.

The incident in question occurred on November 26, 2024, during a burial at Bibirioni Boys High School in Limuru, when a mob allegedly attacked both Thang'wa and Gachagua.