This incident is not the first time Wanjigi’s properties have been the focus of police attention.
The family of businessman Jimi Wanjigi was left stunned after police forces breached the home of the Safina Party leader in Muthaiga on Thursday, August 8, in what they revealed was nine hours of nothing but terror.
This incident is not the first time Wanjigi’s properties have been the focus of police attention. In January 2022, heavily armed officers stormed his Westlands office in a similar raid. The most infamous episode occurred in October 2017 when his Muthaiga home was besieged by police, leading to a dramatic standoff that saw opposition leader Raila Odinga and his allies camp outside his home in solidarity.
During the 2017 raid, police claimed to have recovered five AK-47 rifles and hundreds of rounds of ammunition from Wanjigi’s residence. However, attempts to arrest him were unsuccessful as he managed to evade capture. The businessman was later accused of being involved in the illegal importation of firearms, allegations that he has consistently denied.
However, per the family’s accounts, the raid on Thursday was worse than the previous episodes, marked by more brutal physical assaults and destruction of property. The family’s ordeal at the mercy of armed police was worse than the previous time police raided their home.
CCTV footage outside Wanjigi’s residence in Mutahiga on August 8, 2024. /X
The standoff began at around 5 pm when police surrounded Wanjigi’s home, demanding entry. However, by 7 pm, the situation escalated as the officers breached the doors, triggering what would become a relentless series of searches.
According to Wanjigi’s son, Maina, the police forcibly entered the home, claiming they needed to conduct an investigation. He claimed that the police assaulted his entire family, with masked officers beating him and his mother and sister.
“They kicked my mother and sister in the head while they were lying on the floor,” he said, adding in a voice evident of frustration “I was beaten by five officers, while my mother and sister were forced to lie on the floor and were kicked in the head.”
Wanjigi’s daughter, Wambui, termed the invasion as a humiliating and degrading moment, though this did little to dampen their spirits, telling reporters that their father, Jimi, was what kept them going. “One thing we can take out from today is that we’ve never felt prouder to be a Wanjigi.”
Jimi’s mother on her part termed the sudden events very unfortunate since it had to happen after Jimi’s father was buried about a month ago.
“I’m the mother of Jimi; I’ve known him very well since childhood and he has never been a criminal. He is a loving son, father and husband. I wish that after what happened to him, everyone would open their eyes and see that he is innocent,” she remarked.
The search continued for hours, with police confiscating electronic devices, including iPhones, iPads, and walkie-talkies. The family’s lawyer, Willis Otieno, confirmed the account, stating, “The police took everything they considered evidence, even trivial items like a fuelling receipt.”
It didn’t stop there. At 6 am on Friday, the officers returned for a second raid, disconnecting power and WiFi before storming the bedrooms. “Masked men dragged us from our beds, pointing assault rifles at us,” Maina narrated.
“At 6 am in the morning. My clients were woken up by marauding men jumping in their rooms, wearing balaclavas and carrying assault rifles, pointing them at my clients and forcing them out of their beds,” remarked Otieno, adding “They then went up and down the house, purportedly conducting a search.”
With Jimi Wanjigi still at large, Otieno said his client was safe and would not be cowed by what he described as political intimidation simply because of his strong political views.
Following the Friday morning raid at the residence, NARC Kenya Party leader Martha Karua and Azimio Principal Eugene Wamalwa trooped to the home in solidarity with the businessman who is believed to have brokered the political deal that saw current President William Ruto agree to become former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s running mate in the 2013 presidential poll.
“Police gained access to this home and broke the door. Today my deputy, party secretary general, Eugene Wamalwa and I came here to see what is going on. We came here and found they had conducted two searches one in the evening and another later in the night. I do not want to preempt because they are the ones who know what transpired,” Martha Karua stated.
Jimi has since moved to sue Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Renson Ingonga and the Acting Inspector General of Police Gilbert Masengeli at the Milimani Law Courts, terming the raid at his residence as “politically motivated”.
Businessman Jimi Wanjigi during a past forum. /FILE