Businessman Jimi Wanjigi has sued law enforcement agencies for staging the raid at his home on Thursday.
Wanjigi, in his suit filed at the Milimani Law Courts has sued Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Renson Ingonga and the Acting Inspector General of Police Gilbert Masengeli describing the raid as the Muthaiga residence as "politically motivated".
On Thursday, the police claimed to have recovered an assortment of items from Wanjigi's vehicle, a Prado TX, including four tear gas cannisters ostensibly used in the recent anti-government protests.
However, the businessman has denied these allegations insisting that the vehicle in question and teargas cannisters are not his. Wanjigi believes he is being framed to settle political scores.
Still on Thursday, Masengeli ordered Wanjigi to present himself to the police to record a statement, specifically on the items recovered from the car and the links to funding anti-government protests.
According to Wanjigi's family who spoke to the press on Friday, the police conducted three separate raids at the residence. Two on Thursday. One at around 7pm and another one at around midnight.
The other raid was conducted in the wee hours of Friday morning.
"They came around 7pm. I was beaten by 5 officers. My mother and sister were asked to lie on the floor, they were kicked in the head, they conducted a search. The WiFi Signal is all down. We don't know what they want," Maina Wanjigi, Jimi's son told the press.
Following the Friday morning raid at the residence, NARC Kenya Party leader Martha Karua and Azimio Principal Eugene Wamalwa trooped to the home in solidarity with the businessman who is believed to have brokered the political deal that saw current President William Ruto agree to become former President Uhuru Kenyatta's running mate in the 2013 presidential poll.
"Police gained access to this home and broke the door. Today my deputy, party secretary general, Eugene Wamalwa and I came here to see what is going on. We came here and found they had conducted two searches one in the evening and another later in the night. I do not want to preempt because they are the ones who know what transpired," Martha Karua stated.
With Jimi Wanjigi still at large, his advocate Willis Otieno said his client was safe and would not be cowed by what he described as political intimidation simply because of his strong political views.
"When the police illegally entered the house. The lawyers and members of the family participated. We inventoried all the items and after a long night of search they left. But early in the morning the officers returned, forcing family members out of their rooms purporting to conduct a search," the advocate stated.
According to Otieno, the police officers used brute force to gain access to the home, during which they manhandled Wanjigi's family. The lawyer also accused the law enforcement officers of making away with valuables of unknown value.
