Babu Owino condemns MP Kaguchia's arrest, vows legal defence

Babu Owino Condemns MP Kaguchia's Arrest, Vows Legal Defence

Embakasi East MP Babu Owino publicly condemned the arrest of Mukurwe-ini MP John Kaguchia by DCI officers

Kaguchia was arrested at Citizen TV studios after spending the night there, following remarks he allegedly made at a political rally in Kieni

Babu Owino vowed to defend Kaguchia's right to free expression, warning that punishing speech rather than crime puts every citizen's liberty at risk

Nancy Odindo is a current affairs writer at Tuko.co.ke (joined in 2023). She has one year of experience in print and more than five years in digital media.

Nairobi: Embakasi East Member of Parliament Babu Owino has come out strongly against the arrest of Mukurwe-ini MP John Kaguchia, describing the move as arbitrary and a direct threat to constitutionally guaranteed freedoms.

MP Babu Owino calls out authorities after the arrest of Mukurwe-ini lawmaker John Kaguchia. Photo: John Kaguchia/Babu Owino. Source: Facebook Kaguchia was picked up by Directorate of Criminal Investigations officers on Monday, August 3, at the Citizen TV studios in Nairobi, where he had spent the night following his controversial remarks at a rally in Kieni.

Kalonzo Musyoka condemns arrest of Mukurweini MP John Kaguchia, cites double standards

The remarks that triggered his arrest were delivered on Saturday. Government digital strategist Dennis Itumbi circulated an account of the speech online, attributing to Kaguchia statements threatening to track down, withhold burial rites from, and deny community support to anyone in the region seen supporting President William Ruto .

Search option is now available at TUKO! Feel free to search the content on topics/people you enjoy reading about in the top right corner ;)

Kaguchia pushed back against that characterisation, telling Citizen TV on Monday morning that his words had been deliberately distorted to fit a particular political narrative.

Kaguchia maintained he had received no formal summons from any authority, only posts circulated by Itumbi and what he described as government-aligned legislators from the Mt Kenya region.

Mukurweini MP John Kaguchia arrested by DCI after night standoff at Royal Media offices

Writing on Facebook on Monday, August 3, Babu Owino said the arrest set a dangerous precedent for democratic expression in Kenya.

The MP argued that freedom of expression is designed precisely to shield controversial and unpopular speech from state repression and warned that the government's response could be used against any citizen in the future.

Owino pledged that he and others would pursue every available legal avenue to protect Kaguchia's rights, committing to defend "to the fullest extent of the law, every person's right to speak freely without fear of intimidation, harassment, or arbitrary arrest."

MP Kaguchia under fire after threatening to evict Ruto's supporters from Kieni

MP Babu Owino vows to defend citizens' right to expression. Photo: Babu Owino. Source: Facebook

Nancy Odindo (Current affairs editor)

Nancy Odindo is a current affairs writer at Tuko.co.ke (joined in 2023). She has one year's experience in print and more than five years' experience in digital media. Nancy holds a B.Sc. in Journalism from Jomo Kenyatta University Of Agriculture And Technology. Email Nancy at nancy.odindo@tuko.co.ke