The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has confirmed that Jacaranda Bunge la Wananchi leader Evans Kawala is in police custody, putting to rest claims that he had been abducted.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the DCI said Kawala was arrested on Tuesday evening over remarks allegedly directed at President William Ruto that investigators described as inflammatory.
According to the detectives, the comments that spread far and wide across social platforms were very risky and could lead to unrest among the citizens.
The 33-year-old was arrested by the police force from the Operations Support Unit in an operation carried out in Kayole, Nairobi.
It has been established that the arrest had something to do with the statements made by Kawala after a recent security lapse witnessed in the area where the president of the country was assaulted.
As per information obtained by Wednesday morning, the accused had not yet been released from custody pending his arraignment in court.
Kawala’s arrest became a hot topic on social media platforms following allegations that he had disappeared from public view, as made by some opposition politicians.
Siaya County governor James Orengo was one of the first politicians to publicly comment on the issue, saying the government had embarked on the persecution of its critics.
According to Orengo in a statement issued last Tuesday evening, “Tonight, the Ruto government took drastic steps to kidnap Evance ‘Kidero Jasuba’ Kawala simply because he told it the truth.”
The governor accused the government of intimidation and oppression, demanding that Kawala be released immediately.
However, DCI has maintained that Kawala was arrested legally and was in custody awaiting interrogation on charges of inciting others.
The issue is another reminder that comes at a time when there is already heated politics in the country, with Kenyans complaining about the rising cost of living in the country and criticizing the Kenya Kwanza government.