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The High court in Nairobi Issued a court order on feiday barring the Police from arresting and detaining Prominent bussinessman Jimi Wajigi

The case stems from Wanjigi’s involvement in the widely publicized ‘Nane Nane’ protests staged in Nairobi on Thursday.

According to court documents, Wanjigi had moved to court seeking to block his arrest over his participation in the demonstrations.

Justice Bahati Mwamuye certified the matter as urgent and directed that it be mentioned on August 16, 2024.

The court issued a conservatory order, restraining the respondents, which include the police, from detaining, arresting, or restricting Wanjigi’s liberty and freedom of movement.

Wanjigi had claimed that the police had teargassed him and pursued him to his home on 44 Muthaiga Road, where they attempted to forcefully enter his residence to arrest him.

He has denied police reports that items, including teargas canisters, were allegedly seized from one of his escort vehicles outside his residence.

In a press briefing on Thursday evening, Acting Inspector General of Police Gilbert Masengeli stated that the items, including four teargas canisters, two Motorola gadgets, seven assorted chargers, and a mobile phone, were recovered from a motor vehicle parked outside Wanjigi’s gate.

Wanjigi’s family members, speaking to Citizen TV on Friday morning, termed the incident as a “political witch-hunt” and narrated a 12-hour ordeal at the hands of the police officers who gained access to their home on Thursday night.

Wanjigi’s son, Maina Wanjigi, described how the police officers conducted two searches within a span of two hours, assaulting family members and retrieving various items, including iPhones, iPads, and walkie-talkies.

Wanjigi’s lawyer, Willis Otieno, claimed that the second team of officers who conducted the search at 6:00 am stole jewelry, cash, and other valuables, describing it as an “armed robbery” and not a police operation.

The lawyer added that the searches were a “political witch-hunt” against Wanjigi for his political stand against the current government.

The court’s intervention in the matter has provided a temporary reprieve for Wanjigi, as the High Court has now barred the police from arresting or detaining him, pending the inter-partes hearing and determination of the application filed on August 8, 2024.