Blogger Francis Gaitho to present himself at DCI headquarters

In what the police termed as a case of mistaken identity, they nabbed veteran journalist Macharia Gaitho shortly after he left his home on Wednesday morning. Hours later, the journalist was freed. 

"The National Police Service would like to clarify to the public that this morning, we arrested journalist Macharia Gaitho in a case of  mistaken identity, meant for the arrest of Francis Gaitho who is our subject of investigation. We  reiterate that as a Service, we do not target journalists in any way, and today's incident is highly regrettable," NPS said. 

Following the events, blogger Gaitho confirmed that he was in touch with his lawyers to determine the best way forward. Thereafter, he announced that he would present himself to the DCI. 

"I will be presenting myself at DCI Headquarters, Mazingira House Kiambu Road at 2pm today. Thank you all for your concern," he said. 

Gaitho has been vocal on his social media platforms during the ongoing demonstrations that have called for the resignation of President William Ruto. 

A former Thika Town MP aspirant, Gaitho turned his focus towards digital activism where he calls out the government on accountability issues. Some of his posts have however, been termed controversial as they elicited praise and criticism in equal measure. 

He has participated in several conversations including the X Space hosted by Kimuzi which had over 137,000 listeners including digital strategist Dennis Itumbi and former CS Kipchumba Murkomen. 

Following his announcement, Kenyans online advised him to arrive at the headquarters with a battalion of lawyers to secure his freedom.

"Armed with lawyers or else."

"Fearless indeed we love this they should avoid abducting us and tell us to present ourselves and we will go."

"Share photos and everything too Sir," read some of the comments online.

According to human rights group Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), over 59 people have been abducted during the recent wave of protests while 413 are nursing injuries. Further, the number of fatalities stand at 50 since June 18, 2024.