A dramatic standoff unfolded in Naivasha on Saturday, August 9, after police officers blocked area MP Jayne Kihara from hosting guests at her Maraigushu home.
In a brief statement, the legislator said dozens of officers were deployed to the area and set up roadblocks on the road leading to her residence, preventing vehicles from proceeding.
No cars were allowed to enter the compound, and her attempts to intervene were unsuccessful as the officers maintained their positions.
In a statement, Kihara accused the government of using security resources to target her instead of tackling serious crimes in the region.
"Dozens of police officers block entry into my Maraigushu home to prevent my visitors from accessing my home," she said.
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Kihara linked the heavy police presence to political intimidation, pointing to ongoing concerns over child exploitation in nearby Maai Mahiu.
"Instead of the government mobilising police officers to arrest perpetrators of Child Sex trafficking in Maai-Mahiu they're mobilised to fight one woman who is harmless," she added.
This comes barely a month after Kihara was arrested at her Naivasha residence and escorted to Nairobi, where she was released on a KSh 50,000 personal bond.
The arrest was made on Thursday, July 17 and the following day, Monday, July 18, she was arraigned at the Milimani Law Courts facing charges of offensive conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace.
Her legal team, led by Senior Counsel Kalonzo Musyoka and advocate Ndegwa Njiru, objected to plea-taking, arguing that the charge sheet was vague, politically motivated, and violated her constitutional right to freedom of expression.
"This charge sheet does not disclose any offence. Other Members of Parliament have made far more controversial statements, including threats to disrupt the Saba Saba protests- yet they have not been charged," Kalonzo said.
On Tuesday, July 29, Kihara’s bid to have the case dismissed failed after the court ruled that the charges met the constitutional threshold.
She was ordered to enter her plea, but no plea was taken due to ongoing objections from her defense team.
"Having considered the submissions, I am satisfied that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has met the requirements for framing a charge. I therefore order the accused to plead to the charges," Magistrate Ben Mark Ekubi ruled.
However, on Thursday, August 7, the High Court placed a stay on the prosecution, effectively halting the proceedings.
As a result, a magistrate suspended the trial pending the resolution of the legal challenges raised by her lawyers.
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