The arrest of a prominent Jacaranda Bunge la Mwananchi activist has sparked fresh political controversy after the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) denied claims that he had been abducted by state agents.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, May 27, the DCI confirmed that 33-year-old Evans Kawala had been arrested over what detectives described as “inflammatory public utterances” directed at President William Ruto.
According to investigators, Kawala’s remarks, which had circulated widely across social media platforms, were deemed highly inciteful and capable of threatening public cohesion and national stability.
“Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have arrested a suspect linked to inflammatory public utterances that have gone viral across social media platforms, with content deemed highly inciteful and a serious threat to public cohesion and national stability,” the agency said in its statement.
The DCI further revealed that officers from the Operations Support Unit (OSU) apprehended Kawala during an operation conducted at a shopping mall in Nairobi’s Kayole area on Tuesday evening.
Authorities now say the arrest effectively dismisses allegations by opposition leaders that the outspoken activist had been abducted by security agencies.
Kawala reportedly came under police scrutiny following controversial remarks he made about President Ruto after a recent security breach incident in Ganze, Kilifi County. During the incident, a man managed to gain close access to the Head of State before presidential security officers intervened.
Detectives confirmed that Kawala remains in police custody pending arraignment.
However, the arrest has triggered a sharp political backlash from opposition figures, who accused the government of targeting critics of the Kenya Kwanza administration.
Among those condemning the arrest was James Orengo, who on Tuesday night accused the government of using intimidation tactics against dissenting voices.
“Tonight, the Ruto administration resorted to desperate measures by abducting Evance ‘Kidero Jasuba’ Kawala, a vocal champion of the Jacaranda Bunge La Mwananchi, simply for speaking truth to power,” Orengo claimed.
The Siaya governor further described the alleged abduction as evidence of political intolerance within the government, demanding Kawala’s immediate release.
“Oppression only signals a government’s weakness. You can abduct a critic, but you cannot chain the spirit of defiance. We demand his immediate and unconditional release,” he added.
The incident is likely to intensify the growing debate surrounding freedom of expression, political dissent and the state’s handling of government critics amid heightened political tensions in the country.
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