Naivasha MP Jayne Kihara arrested after snubbing DCI summons

Naivasha Member of Parliament Jayne Kihara has been arrested for failing to honour summons by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) over alleged incitement remarks.

Kihara was arrested on Thursday afternoon at her home in Maraigushu, Nakuru County, in a dramatic operation livestreamed on her Facebook page.

The MP, who is currently being held at Naivasha Police Station, claims officers informed her she possesses information that could assist in investigations.

Heavily armed officers, some in uniform and others in civilian clothes, stormed her home, ransacked the premises, and allegedly blocked journalists and members of the public from accessing the property before arresting her.

“Dozens of police officers are currently at my Maraigushu home to arrest me,” Kihara posted on Facebook shortly after meeting sand harvesters from Mai Mahiu.

In the live footage, the MP was seen being escorted by officers to waiting SUVs, flanked by her bodyguards, before being driven to Naivasha Police Station, where she is recording her statement. She is expected to be transferred to DCI headquarters along Kiambu Road, Nairobi.

Naivasha MP Jayne Kihara was arrested and briefly detained at Naivasha Police Station before being transferred to the DCI headquarters on Kiambu Road for further interrogation. pic.twitter.com/5gkheII9BH

— The Eastleigh Voice (@Eastleighvoice) July 17, 2025

Earlier images posted on her social media showed armed officers deployed outside her home. Her lawyers, Waithaka Mwangi and Wachira Waiganjo, said they were yet to be informed why the legislator had been arrested but linked the operation to the recent DCI summons.

“We are yet to be told why the MP has been arrested. But we believe it is related to the summons the MP received earlier this week to appear before detectives at the DCI headquarters along Kiambu Road in Nairobi,” Mwangi said.

Eyewitnesses reported that some of the officers involved in the raid were from the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit, with some reportedly hooded during the operation.

Kihara’s arrest follows her repeated refusal to honour summons issued by DCI Deputy Director of the Investigations Bureau George Lenny Kisaka over allegations of incitement. She was expected at DCI headquarters on Monday, July 14, at 10:30 am, but failed to appear.

“I hereby compel you, Hon. Jayne Njeri Wanjiku Kihara, MP for Naivasha Constituency… to appear before me… without fail,” read part of the notice she shared on Sunday.

“Failure to comply with the requisition constitutes an offence liable to prosecution.”

The summons were issued after investigators opened a probe into the alleged dissemination of “inciteful or disruptive content” on her social media.

However, Kihara dismissed the summons in a Facebook post, saying, “The days of intimidating leaders using the criminal justice system are long gone. Summoning me to DCI headquarters tomorrow will not change Kenyans’ resolve, because this is not about Jayne Kihara but about our country, Kenya.”

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The DCI, in its summons, accused her of making remarks deemed to undermine the authority of an unnamed public officer, contrary to Section 132 of the Penal Code.

“The bureau is investigating an alleged offence of undermining the authority of a public officer… whereby a complaint on dissemination of inciteful or disruptive content features, and I have reasons to believe that you are connected to the offence or have information that can assist in investigations,” read the summons.

Kihara’s arrest adds to growing tensions within the ruling Kenya Kwanza coalition, with leaders allied to former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua accusing the State of targeting them for their perceived disloyalty.

The MP has previously accused President William Ruto of using State security forces to harass allies of Gachagua, after her security detail was withdrawn in May. At the time, she lamented feeling “vulnerable and naked” and warned that any harm that might befall her should be blamed on the President.

“I plead with President Ruto to keep his promise not to weaponise security agencies against political opponents and to restore my security,” she said then.

Her arrest comes weeks after Gachagua himself claimed his life was in danger, alleging that State security officers had trailed him during a church service in Gatanga, Murang’a County, with plans to attack him using poison-laced tear gas.

Kihara is the latest Gachagua ally to be arrested, following the detention and prosecution of several others linked to recent Saba Saba and June 25 youth-led protests.