Wamuzi News KeIn a startling escalation of politically charged detentions, Wanjiku Thiga, the National Youth Leader of the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) and a prominent ally of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, was reportedly arrested today in Kamakis and is now being held at Ruiru Police Station.
The dramatic operation unfolded shortly after 1pm on Tuesday, July 1, when plain-clothed officers apprehended Thiga on the busy Kamakis corridor in Ruiru. The incident quickly sparked viral outrage on social media, with eyewitness reports confirming her detention and subsequent transfer to Ruiru police custody.
Thiga’s official X (formerly Twitter) page informed her followers: “I have been abducted at Kamakis.” While the police are holding her, their failure to provide any official charge has raised alarm. Kirinyaga County Woman Representative Njeri Maina, a vocal critic, states that even officers at the station are unaware of why she remains in custod.
Her arrest marks a worrying pattern targeting DCP figures. Just a day earlier, Peter Kawanjiru, another youth leader aligned with Gachagua, disappeared following a violent nighttime raid in Limuru. That operation reportedly involved shots fired by arresting officers around 8:30pm, yet his current whereabouts remain unknown.
Legal observers are now raising red flags. “Arrests without clear charges and enforced disappearances ride roughshod over constitutional rights,” one expert commented. The timing is conspicuous: both detentions occurred in the aftermath of June 25 protests, which saw youth-led demonstrations violently suppressed and branded by the DCI as the work of “well-orchestrated groups.”
Agencies remain tight‑lipped. The Directorate of Criminal Investigations has issued no statement on Thiga’s detention or the reasons behind it. Senior DCI officials told reporters that while no investigation currently targets Gachagua himself, any affiliate deemed a “person of interest” may face legal scrutiny.
Wanjiku Thiga was appointed to her leadership role on May 15 and has since been an articulate voice for youth causes and government accountability. Her arrest follows her outspoken coverage of Kawanjiru’s abduction, including sharing circulating photos from the raid scene at his home.
This incident raises urgent questions: are security agencies being deployed to suppress legitimate dissent or criminalize opposition voices? As election fever builds toward 2027 and political tensions rise, activists warn that using state power to silence Gachagua’s allies threatens Kenya’s democratic foundations.
