Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has revealed that several arrests were made and vehicles impounded after Nairobi County officials dumped waste at Stima Plaza in a retaliatory attack.
Speaking during a press briefing on Thursday, Murkomen said that despite popular belief that the National Police Service had not intervened to cool down the situation, they had arrested several of the suspected perpetrators and impounded some of the vehicles involved.
Flanked by the Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja, and the Director of Criminal Investigations, Mohammed Amin, the CS condemned the act, describing it as "primitive" and a threat to public health.
"You come and dump waste so that people can contract diseases like cholera? That was uncalled for and uncouth. From day one, the NPS responded," Murkomen stated.
"Perhaps we did not publicise it as we should have, but at the highest level, a report was made by KPLC, which led to the arrest of some officers from this county for questioning. Additionally, several lorries have been detained at the police station."
The CS noted that this information had not been shared with the public or Parliament, which led to a heated debate in the House on Wednesday, as lawmakers called for immediate action.
During the session, several lawmakers, including Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah, called for the summoning of IG Kanja to explain why no action had yet been taken despite the barbaric acts.
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula thereby ordered that Kanja be summoned next week to explain the way forward in the saga.
In Thursday’s briefing, CS Murkomen stated that a formal report on the progress of investigations into the matter would be issued to Parliament in due course.
"That information was not available to Parliament during yesterday’s debate, and we have agreed that, as a Ministry and the National Police Service, we will compile the ongoing investigation details and submit them to Parliament for further action," he added.
This revelation comes just a day after the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) instructed the DCI to launch investigations into the three-day stand-off to determine the root cause of the clash.
In the letter, Deputy DPP Jacinta Nyamosi gave the directorate seven days to investigate the matter and submit a detailed report on what transpired so that further legal action could be determined.
The stand-off reportedly arose from the two institutions taking drastic measures against each other over outstanding debts amounting to billions. Kenya Power cut off electricity to several government offices in Nairobi over an unpaid Ksh 3 billion electricity bill, while the county council responded by dumping waste at Stima Plaza over Ksh 4.9 billion owed to them by the power company.
The feud was quelled on Wednesday afternoon following a meeting attended by Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi and Head of Public Service Felix Koskei.
