Why the police raided Jimi Wanjigi's offices

Police have linked their raid on aspiring ODM presidential candidate and businessman Jimi Wanjigi (pictured) to alleged possession of another firearm.

Wanjigi recently won a case where the Director of Criminal Investigations George Kinoti was ordered to return a gun that was impounded from the businessman when police besieged and searched his Muthaiga home in 2017.

When that did not happen, the court found him to be in contempt and sentenced the DCI boss to four months in prison and ordered him to present himself at Kamiti prison.

An arrest was subsequently ordered but which also, didn't happen.

Kinoti has since successfully appealed against the order which has been suspended until April 1, 2022.

Sources familiar with the matter at the DCI headquarters told The Standard that police were investigating claims that Wanjigi was in possession of yet another unlicensed firearm.

Police believe that this unlicensed firearm was in Wanjigi's  Kwacha Group office in Westlands, Nairobi.

The sources said that the DCI investigations branch headed by John Gachomo was also probing allegations that some of the vehicles in Wanjigi's Westlands office have fake number plates.

“How do you explain how a Toyota V8 ends up with the registration of a Probox?” said a senior official at the Mazingira complex.

The investigators said the decision to raid Wanjigi’s offices was reached after he (Wanjigi) failed to honour summons by DCI officers to shed light on the two issues.

“We have sent him summons via WhatsApp and followed up with call but he is yet to present himself,” said an investigator.

But Wanjigi through his lawyers last evening denied the claims by the DCI.

Lawyer Willis Otieno said:"The issue of the guns is being handled in court. My client does not possess any other gun."

On the issue of the vehicle with the fake registration numbers, Otieno said: " My client too does not have any vehicle that has not been properly registered. If this is the case, why has the DCI not informed us in our numerous correspndences|" said Otieno

Wanjigi has alleged that ODM leader Raila Odinga is behind a police raid at his Kwacha Group of Companies offices in Westlands, Nairobi.

This morning, Wanjigi said he believes the remarks he made about Raila over the weekend might have prompted police to raid his offices.

In response to the claim, Raila Odinga's spokesperson Dennis Onyango dismissed the allegations as “sideshows”, adding: “We do not intend to get involved in such matters. Why would Raila get the police to raid Wanjigi’s office, does he command the force?”

Wanjigi broke the silence amid speculations about his arrest as photos showing detectives at his offices in Westlands were shared on social media.

In an interview on Spice FM’s Situation Room, the businessman maintained the arrest is politically instigated.

"The utterances this weekend in Machakos could have been the cause of the siege. It was very clear that the Raila Amollo Odinga that I have known since 1991 is not the same that I am seeing today. The man that has stood for justice and democracy is not the man that I watch and listen to, today," Wanjigi stated.