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MP Jaguar to spend another night in police cell


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.

Resident Magistrate Tobiko Sinkiyan said she will issue a ruling on Friday and directed that he remains detained at Kileleshwa police station.

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 organize groups of gangs to invade private property as well as attack of foreign Nationals in the country.

And since Jaguar 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 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.

EXPULSION OF FOREIGN TRADERS

On Wednesday, Jaguar 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, Ugandans and Chinese nationals.

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

“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 saying that he should be freed on bond so as not to infringe on his rights.

The lawyers said that he is ready to comply with any terms set by the court.

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

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

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