Police ask court to detain Njagua Kanyi for 14 days amid probe

What you need to know:

  • The legislator — popularly known as Jaguar spent Wednesday night in police custody following their arrests.

  • Mr Njagua was taken to Nairobi Area police station to record a statement after he made remarks calling for the expulsion of foreign traders.

Starehe MP Charles Njagua will spend another night at Kileleshwa Police Station as he awaits a determination on whether he will be detained further for two weeks pending investigation on remarks deemed as incitement to violence.

Nairobi Resident Magistrate Tobiko Sinkiyan said she will issue a ruling on Friday hence directed that he remains detained.

Police had made a request to the court to have the legislator who is popularly known as Jaguar, to be detained for 14 days at Kamukunji Police Station when he was arraigned in court.

According to State lawyer Duncan Ondimu, there was credible intelligence showing that he was in the process of planning to mobilise and organise groups of gangs to invade private property as well as attack foreign nationals in the country.

DANGEROUS DRIVING

And since Mr Njagua was convicted with dangerous driving on February 21, the court was told that he should be denied bail considering that he is not a first time offender.

The court was also told that being an MP, he is a person of influence hence if released investigations will be compromised.

“Incitement utterances by Mr Njagua pose a great risk to the security and economy of the country as well as the region. It is in violation of the East African treaty and his actions must be fully investigated,” said Mr Ondimu.

On Wednesday, Mr Njagua was taken to Nairobi Area Police Station to record a statement after he made remarks calling for the expulsion of foreign traders while referring to Tanzanians and Chinese nationals.

Detectives bundled him into a car with South Sudanese number plates outside Parliament Building and took him for interrogations.

'XENOPHOBIC REMARKS'

“The inciting remarks made Mr Njagua have caused serious diplomatic challenges to the country and has placed  Kenyans living in foreign countries at a great risk of being  harmed or injured as well as killed,” said Mr Ondimu.

However, defence lawyers protested against the request to further hold the legislator arguing that he should be freed on bond to protect his rights and that he is ready to comply with court orders.

They argued that it had not been demonstrated how the MP would interfere with the ongoing investigation.

They also argued that as an MP he needs to serve his constituents hence urged the court to balance his individual rights with those of the public.

SH40,000 FINE

Last year, Mr Njagua was charged with causing death by dangerous driving which ended the life of a motorcyclist and his passenger.

The accident occurred at Makutano road within Kirinyaga County on March 21, 2017.

The MP was driving his luxury sports vehicle (Range Rover) and was accused of being reckless on the road hence knocked down motorcyclist Mugo Mwangi and his passenger Joseph Mwangi Kairia.

He was arrested and charged at the time with two counts of causing death through dangerous driving.

He was convicted and ordered to pay a fine of Sh40,000 or face imprisonment for six months.

He was further barred from driving for a one year period.

Even though he was convicted and financially supports the families of the victims, his past may haunt him in the corridors of justice.

Two MPs, Lang'ata’s Nixon Korir and Gatundu South’s Moses Kuria, were in court in a show of solidarity.