Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on Friday arrested ex-police officer Hiram Kimathi at his residence in the Kambakia area of Makutano, Meru County.
The arrest occurred around 1pm, just a day after Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen publicly backed a crackdown on rogue officers allegedly misusing their training.
Kimathi is suspected of being a key figure in a group dubbed Fighting Brutality and Impunity (FBI), a self-styled anti-police brutality movement whose other known leaders, Jackson Kuria Kimani alias Cop Shakur and former KDF soldier Patrick Osoi, were also recently apprehended.
Sources say DCI officers had camped outside Kimathi’s home since mid-morning. He eventually surrendered, was handcuffed, and driven away in a Subaru vehicle.
His lawyer, Dan Kiruai, who arrived during the arrest, said authorities had not disclosed the charges or the station Kimathi was being taken to.
Kiruai argued that Kimathi’s involvement in the FBI group and his public expressions criticising government excesses fall under constitutionally protected freedoms of speech and assembly.
This arrest comes just days after Osoi was arraigned at Kahawa Law Courts. According to court filings, Osoi, Cop Shakur, and Kimathi allegedly conspired to recruit current and former officers to resist “illegal orders,” potentially posing a threat to national security.
Osoi, a US Army veteran and purported former NIS officer, is facing several charges, including preparing to commit a felony, illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, and offences related to terrorism recruitment.
Cop Shakur was also arrested on Wednesday at the Kahawa Law Courts as he attempted to support Osoi during his arraignment.
