Busia County Senator Okiya Omtatah has said that President William Ruto should have been arrested after goons infiltrated his tour of Nairobi County in March 2025.
Speaking on the night of Monday, May 26, 2025, during an interview with a local TV station, Omtatah, who has since declared his interest in the 2027 presidency, while defending Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) Deputy Party leader Cleophas Malalah over his failed Kakamega rally, argued that freedom of expression should not be enjoyed at the expense of the police.
The activist-cum-politician went ahead to argue that Malalah had done nothing wrong by holding a DCP rally in Kakamega and that it was wrong for the police to summon him.
He further said that President Ruto is the one who should have been arrested since his Nairobi tour disrupted the residents when goons infiltrated his rallies and started beating and stealing from the people along the roads in the routes he held the rallies.
“Freedom of expression and freedom of assembly are not enjoyed at the pleasure of the police, but I will say that one positive thing I find in this story is that somebody has been summoned. I don’t know if a warrant has been issued because the only person who can do that is a magistrate. If it is just a police summons, I will ask Malalah to honourably present himself to the police and record whatever statement they want him to record,” Omtatah said.
“Where I am sitting, I don’t see anything wrong that Malala did by having that rally. Even the other day the president disrupted people when he went around Nairobi with a gang of pickpockets who were stealing from the people. Was it not President Ruto disrupting? In fact, he did worse than disrupt. He should have been arrested for carrying goons through the streets of Nairobi estates. Why wasn’t Ruto summoned for parading goons in the streets of Nairobi?”
Ruto’s Nairobi tour
On Monday, March 10, 2025, President Ruto started touring parts of Nairobi for inspection of development projects.
However, goons infiltrated his tour and terrorised Nairobi residents in various estates.
It all started in Eastleigh, where goons who purported to accompany and welcome Ruto tried to snatch side mirrors from his official car.
The goons harassed and robbed unsuspecting motorists and pedestrians.
From Eastleigh, it moved to Mathare, Babadogo, Kawangware, Kangemi and later to Westlands.
On Thursday, March 13, the drama moved to Lang’ata and Kibera. Similar incidents were witnessed on Jogoo Road on Friday, March 14.
Persons of interest arrested
At least 38 suspects were arrested in an operation on the perpetrators of lawlessness during the President’s Nairobi tour.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in a statement on Saturday, March 15, 2025, said those found culpable for terrorising Kenyans would be held accountable.
The attacks targeting innocent members of the public were witnessed along Thika Highway, Waiyaki Way and Jogoo Road.
“A total of 38 suspects have been apprehended and are currently in police custody undergoing processing at various police stations as they await their court appearance,” the DCI said.
“During the crackdown, seven motorcycles used in terrorising members of the public and several mobile phones were recovered and are securely detained as exhibits,” the DCI said.
