Juja MP George Koimburi has been kidnapped by unknown individuals, just 48 hours after he escaped a similar situation on a motorcycle.
Koimburi was taken on the afternoon of Sunday, May 25, during a church sermon in full glare of the congregation, who watched him get hustled into a Subaru vehicle. The lawmaker had resurfaced on Sunday at Full Gospel Church in Mugutha, Kiambu County, days after his disappearance.
The lawmaker's wife also sustained injuries as she tried to block her husband from being taken, according to Kiambu Senator Karungo wa Thang'wa.
Speaking exclusively to Kenyans.co.ke, Senator Thang'wa, a close ally to Koimburi, confirmed the new developments, adding that a plot to nab the lawmaker was in motion from last week.
"They have been trailing him since last week when he was giving out bursaries," Senator Thang'wa said. "It was by sheer luck that he escaped on a motorbike," he added.
According to the Senator, despite initial reports on Friday that Koimburi had been kidnapped, Thang'wa revealed that the lawmaker managed to escape and was in hiding. The MP's whereabouts were unknown until he resurfaced at the Full Gospel Church in Mugutha on Sunday.
Further reports suggest that a scuffle ensued during Koimburi's apprehension on Sunday, with the MP's wife trying to intervene and subsequently sustaining injuries in the process.
The reasons behind Koimburi's troubles remain unclear, as his allies insist he received no prior summons before the pursuit began.
On Friday, Koimburi was at the Gachororo Primary School grounds presiding over the issuance of bursaries when word reached him that he could potentially get apprehended. Sensing danger, the lawmaker abandoned his driver and vehicle, instead using a motorcycle to flee the school.
His driver was subsequently taken to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters, where he answered a few questions before getting released.
Interestingly, the Friday incident was not the first time Koimburi attempted to evade authorities. In February, he staged another escape on a motorcycle outside the Kiambu Law Courts as he was addressing the media alongside his lawyers.
At the time, he was charged with six counts, including forging academic certificates, nearly three decades after the alleged offence.
