Former CS Echesa arrested moments after leaving DP Ruto rally

Former Sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa has been arrested in Kakamega.

Echesa was arrested moments after leaving a meeting in Malinya, Ikolomani where DP William Ruto had addressed area leaders including Bonny Khalwale who later announced his defection to Jubilee party.

Echesa was taken to the Kakamega Central Police Station and is reportedly being interrogated over the recent Matungu killings that left 12 people dead.

During a leaders' meeting, Malinya, Ikolomani, Kakamega County. pic.twitter.com/6kYDZ3uEdk

— William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) May 17, 2019

His arrest comes just moments after Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala was also nabbed.

Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) are holding Malala at the Kisumu Central Police Station.

At least 30 people were injured in the Matungu attacks that saw Interior CS Fred Matiangi send officers from the General Service Unit (GSU) to Kakamega County.

The area OCS and the AP officers were also transferred to other areas and immediately replaced.

Echesa was sacked on March 1 this year after a short stint at the Sports ministry.

His tenure was riddled with scandals which were seen to be what pushed the hand of President Uhuru Kenyatta to remove him from office.

At one time, eight Pakistani women, who were said to have been flown into the country with the assistance of Echesa, were deported.

It was suspected that they were victims of human trafficking.

Echesa later picked a fight with former Prime Minister Raila Odinga swearing to never call him “Baba” and even daring the political titan to sack him.

“I want to dare you Tinga wherever you are, come and sack me, kuja unifute. Kama ni wewe appointing authority Kenya hii, come and sack me please. I have a very young family to look after…” he said during a past public rally.

Echesa’s comments angered many and this came to the fore escalated on August 6, 2018 after Alego Usonga MP Samuel Atandi brawled with him at Kisumu International Airport.

Sources at the airport revealed to the Nation that the two engaged in a near-fist fight after Mr Atandi told the CS to “go to school.”