MP Jaguar to be charged with incitement over xenophobic remarks
Starehe MP Charles Njagua Kanyi will this morning face charges of incitement to violence over his xenophobic utterances against foreigners operating businesses in Nairobi.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) confirmed Wednesday evening that the MP will be presented to court this morning following his dramatic arrest outside Parliament.
Mr Njagua’s arraignment comes even as the government in a statement condemned the incendiary utterances the MP made on Monday, and distanced itself from what it described as reckless and unneighbourly sentiments.
Tanzania has since summoned Kenyan High Commissioner to Dar es Salaam Dan Kazungu to explain the MP’s remarks in which he threatened to attack foreign traders operating in the capital.
In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the MP’s utterances were careless and inciteful pointing out that the aggressive and ill-tempered language used by Mr Njagua is against Kenya’s welcoming ethos as well as the constitution.
In a clip that has gone viral on social media, Mr Njagua is seen talking about traders from Tanzania, Uganda, Pakistan and China, accusing them of dominating markets in Nairobi and harassing local traders.
After the comments went viral on Monday, Speaker of Tanzanian Parliament Job Ndugai ordered his government to issue a statement on the safety of Tanzanians living and working in Kenya.
Mr Njagua was arrested around 1pm by DCI officers as he walked out of Parliament Buildings towards his constituency office located at Continental House.
Police bundled him into a navy blue Subaru car bearing South Sudanese registration and he was driven to Nairobi Region Police Headquarters where he was questioned for over two hours.
MPs Moses Kuria (Gatundu South) Benjamin Gathiru (Embakasi Central) and Nixon Korir (Lang’ata) visited the station, but were not allowed to see him even after camping at the gate for over an hour.
Their presence attracted dozens of Mr Njagua’s supporters who staged protests outside the station demanding his release.
The protesters claimed they have been experiencing bad business due to the influx of foreign traders whom they accused of evading taxes. However, the group was dispersed by police who fired tear gas at them.