Azimio la Umoja One Kenya has condemned the arrest and abduction of its leaders and close associates ‘without lawful justification’
In a press statement on Wednesday evening, the Azimio Co-Principle and the NARC Kenya Party Leader Martha Karua said Babu Owino, the MP for Embakasi East was arrested by police last evening and is being held incommunicado and that his whereabouts remain unknown.
She said today MP for Kilifi South, Ken Chonga and the Speaker of the Kilifi County Assembly Teddy Mwambire were also arrested and detained in an unknown place.
She added that in Nairobi, police have arrested MCA for Mabatini ward Wilfred Odallo his Ngei ward counterpart Redson Onyango and Nairobi County Assembly budget officers; Erick Otieno and Antony Otsula and held him at an undisclosed location.
Karua also said that Raila Odinga’s security officer, Maurice Ogeto was abducted by police in the morning while on his way to work while Odinga’s personal assistant Dennis Onyango was abducted by police from his house in the morning during which a search without a court warrant was conducted.
“These illegal arrests and abductions are a desperate attempt by the illegitimate Ruto regime to paralyze Azimio and its top leadership and to sabotage the exercise of our constitutional right to peaceful demonstrations. We demand for the immediate release of those detained noting that their detention is not only malicious but also unlawful. If it were not so, they would have been taken before the nearest courts and charged immediately,” read in part the statement.
Karua further demanded respect for the constitution and laws noting that police continue to use force in the ongoing anti-government demonstrations in Mathare, Kibra, Embakasi, Kamukunji, Mombasa, Kilifi, Kisii, Kisumu and the other parts of the country.
She noted that the police using force should be reminded that they will account individually for the unlawful acts.
Several people have so far been shot dead and others are nursing gunshot injuries in various hospitals across the country.
