Jimi Wanjigi releases CCTV Footage of DCI raid at his Kwacha Group office

Businessman Jimi Wanjigi has broken silence over a raid that was conducted at his offices in Parklands on Monday night, January 17.

Speaking to Citizen TV’s Trevor Ombija, he said that the unknown number of officers arrived at the Kwacha Group of Companies offices at around 9:30 pm.

“This evening at 9:30 pm we were told that CID are at the gate and they were asked what they want, they said they just want me. They were asked what it was about, if they would see a lawyer, they said no.

“They got in and they opened the gate and they've surrounded the compound… many of them dressed in the way they used to dress when there was massive Covid-19… you know these guys from head to toe in white clothing and assault rifles,” he described.

Wanjigi also shared CCTV footage of the raid showing the said armed detectives.

When Wanjigi’s lawyers tried to engage the DCI officers, they are said to have insisted that the businessman record a statement at the DCI headquarters.

The billionaire linked the raid to utterances he made over the weekend, where he blamed President Uhuru Kenyatta and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga for his frustrations.

He recalled the 2017 raid at his Muthaiga residence, insisting that he would not be intimidated into dropping his candidature for president in the upcoming 2022 General Election.

August 2022 race, a battle of the kingmakers

Wanjigi was planning on rolling out his presidential campaign soon and expressed disappointment in Odinga for partnering with President Kenyatta.

“Let them just come out and say it. Uhuru Kenyatta just come out and say it. And to imagine that my friend Raila... Raila Amolo Odinga whom I was almost killed for, is sitting with him (Uhuru) somewhere probably enjoying this spectacle is the saddest thing of all,” stated Wanjigi.

The August 2022 race which has largely been considered as a battle between career politicians is now likely to turn into a battle of the kingmakers.

Deputy President William Ruto, ODM leader Raila Odinga and Wanjigi are some of the individuals who have impacted Kenyan politics the most in the last two decades.

Raila was the kingmaker in retired President Mwai Kibaki’s huge success in 2002, while Ruto contributed immensely to President Uhuru Kenyatta’s victory in 2013 and 2017.

Political analysts often use chess as a metaphor to describe the nature of Kenya’s politics, saying that every now and then, a grandmaster arrives and transforms the game with a new and unexpected gambit.