NTV journalist Mwangi Muiruri was arrested on Sunday, November 14, by Deputy President William Ruto's bodyguards while covering the DP's rally in Muranga County.
Muiruri was arrested after having an altercation with the bodyguards while their boss was officially launching the Kangari United Dairy Co-op Society Limited, in Kigumo constituency.
He was accused of compromising the DP's security by obstructing the guards. However, the journalist refuted the theory, stating that he had no plans to cause trouble.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, the scribe stated that his troubles began when he and other members of the press scrambled to get snaps of the DP in a restricted area.
"I was using my phone. While moving back to get a better angle of the DP, I accidentally stepped on one of the security detail's feet," he stated.
Muiruri stated that he was immediately surrounded by other bodyguards who questioned who he was. Outnumbered, one of the men confiscated his badge before he was frog-matched out of the premises.
He was then handed over to the Kangari Directorate of Criminal Investigations Offices (DCIO) in a police vehicle waiting outside the gate. The vehicle proceeded to the area police station.
At the station, Muiruri identified himself as an NTV journalist upon enquiry by the police officers. He was grilled for hours and was informed that Ruto already had a media team and had not engaged any other media house.
In the meantime, he stated that the police officers made several calls to a man believed to be Faruk Kibet, the DPs personal assistant.
"They were communicating back and forth. They asked him what I should be charged with. The Regional Commissioner and Sub County Police Commissioners were also involved in the communication," Muiruri narrated.
Later, Kibet called and told the officers to release him once the DP had left the area. Muiruri stated that he believed that incident was related to what he described as strained relationship between the DP's team and journalists from NTV.
"On November 5, some journalists were covering Ruto in Gatanga, Ruto's team claimed that the journalist went on to incorrectly report on the event," he revealed.
The Murang'a based journalist confirmed that he had been released and was safely home. He also recovered his phone but did not mention whether he retrieved his budge.
