Blogger Francis Gaitho's whereabouts unknown after arrest in Nairobi

Gaitho, whose virulent political commentary has landed him in trouble with the authorities before, was reportedly 'abducted' by unknown people from his Nairobi home.

CCTV videos published by blogger Cyprian Nyakundi shows the moment the blogger was arrested. In the series of videos, men can be seen walking up and down an empty hallway before eventually emerging with Gaitho and later ushering him towards several waiting vehicles.

The timestamp on the CCTV footage reveals that the arrest happened at around 8.25 pm.

Gaitho, dressed in a black t-shirt and handcuffed, is then seen being bundled into the boot of a black SUV which then drives off almost immediately.

Prior to the ambush, Gaitho posted two tweets in quick succession, alerting his followers of the impending arrest.

At first, he shared, "Police outside the residence I've been staying at."

He then posted, "10 police surrounding my house in Westlands. Alert everyone!"

Whilst it is not yet clear where he was taken and for what crime was he supposedly arrested, Kenyans on X have started the hashtag #FreeGaitho, with many also sharing posters with his face emblazoned on them, written "Free Gaitho".

X personality Nelson Amenya, as well as Eric Amerix and Dennis Ombachi have all shared posters calling for the unconditional release of the vitriolic blogger.

Back in July, Gaitho was arrested and subsequently charged with publishing false information claiming the DCI arrested the wrong person as the prime suspect in the Kware killings.

Gaitho was accused that on July 15, 2024, at around 1400 hours while at an unknown place using his X social media account, he intentionally published false information.

He denied the charges before Milimani senior principal magistrate Robinson Ondieki and pleaded for lenient bond terms.

Gaitho through his lawyer told the court that he was not a flight risk as he was arrested at his home.