The police have raided the politician and cum-businessman on suspicion that he is behind the ongoing youthful protests in Nairobi and other parts of the country. Jimmy Wanjigi is also a party leader. He founded the Safina Party after his fallout with the veteran opposition leader, Raila Odinga, over the 2022 presidential party candidacy.
The youth have maintained that they are party-less, tribeless, and leaderless, and it’s the call for accountability in governance that has taken them to the streets. However, the government has insisted that certain individuals and foreign organizations are funding the ongoing anti-government protests.
The acting Inspector General of Police, Mr. Gilbert Masengeli, stated in his address to the media after the raid that they found stun grenades and other communication gadgets in Jimmy Wanjigi’s car.
“Today, we intercepted a personal motor vehicle in Muthaiga at the residence of Jimmy Wanjigi, where we recovered 4 teargas canisters, 2 motorola gadgets, and 7 assorted chargers for the pocket phones and 1 mobile phone,” Masengli said.
However, a section of netizens have blasted the claims as void. Video and images circulated on the social media platforms of a car parked at the entry of the businessman’s gate with grenades in the driver’s interior cab have left many unanswered questions.
The businessman has been vocal on issues touching the government and the corruption surrounding government agencies since 2017 after his fallout with Uhuru Kenyanta and William Ruto. This is not the first time his home is being stormed.
In 2017, officers from the Special Crimes Prevention Unit raided his home and confiscated weapons, and the workers got arrested. The Siaya Governor, then Senator, and a senior lawyer alluded to the fact the fact that the raid was carried out due to his association with the then National Super Alliance (NASA) coalition.
In 2020, the police staged more than a 24-hour raid in Wanjigi’s Muthaiga residence in an alleged search for crude weapons in his house. The government’s investigation into who the central funders of demonstrations continues. Last month, the government formally wrote to the Ford Foundations, demanding answers into their alleged involvement in the ongoing protests.
