Wanjigi family narrate harrowing experiences during police raid

Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) carrying bags of evidence they collected from Businessman Jimmy Wanjigi's home in Muthaiga on August 9, 2024. [Kanyiri Wahito, Standard]

The family members of politician Jimmy Wanjigi have narrated their harrowing experiences when police raided their Muthaiga home on Thursday evening.

The contingent of armed officers was reportedly hunting for Wanjigi on the day the capital city was rocked by Nane-Nane demonstrations.

James Maina, the businessman’s son, said police officers arrived around 7pm and forcefully gained access to the compound before heading into the main house in similar style.

"Before breaking the door, three officers dragged me to the compound, assaulted me claiming that they wanted to snatch a gun," Maina narrated.

In the house, Maina claimed that their mother, grandmother and sister were ordered to lie down as the officers ransacked the rooms.

In the aftermath, he claims several items including electronics could not be traced in an ordeal that he said lasted until 4am on Friday morning.

"They came back at about 6am today, brandishing guns, dragged us out of our beds and overturned everything, broke cupboards; they appeared desperate to find something because,” the son added.

His sister Wambui Wanjigi described the ordeal as traumatic and scary, especially the time when the cops were all over pointing guns at them.

They kicked and beat us, looted and took our phones, it was just a very traumatic and scary experience, " she said.

"Our father is a loving man who cares for the people of Kenya and he was just exercising his rights, and what they did to us is not just right," Wambui added.

Reportedly, Wanjigi had earlier participated in Nane nane protests in Nairobi until when the protestors were disbursed using teargas.

Later on, after the raid at his home, police stated that they had recovered teargas and other items, which have become the centre of investigations.

Meanwhile, Narc Kenya party leader Martha Marua who arrived at Wanjigi's home yesterday afternoon accompanied by a battery of lawyers condemned the police actions including forceful entry into Wanjigi’s home without a warrant.

Advocate and Narc Kenya Secretary General Asha Bashir described the incident unfortunate wondering why police would come and break a private citizen's gate. He also wondered why they had no warrant even as they gained access into somebody's home.

“Let us follow the due process, issue a search warrant and let the search be done in the presence of family and lawyers and do not harass the family," she said.

"This is a rogue regime, and we must tell the President that the buck stops with him. You can't be attacking everybody who has a dissenting opinion," she added. 

Karua said the case is not isolated since Kenyans saw the same harassment of journalists during the Nane Nane protests on Thursday urging Kenyans to stand firm.

Wanjigi's lawyer Willis Otieno said the family had been subjected to similar ordeal before and that the government should be addressing issues pressing Kenyans instead of oppressing them.

At the same time, the lawyer denied allegations by police on Thursday that teargases and grenades were found in his vehicle where they were planted in the compound.

"Yesterday, the police went throughout the house but didn't find anything, only to come later in the morning saying they have found this and that," he said.

"We are not just going to sue the State but individual officers who carried out the exercise so that taxpayers' money is not used to pay for mistakes done by those officers," said Otieno.

He urged the government to follow the law by summoning Wanjigi and not invading his home.

"If the State has anything against Wanjigi, he should be summoned indicating date and time and police station as per the law requires and not invading his home,” he said.