Veteran journalist Macharia Gaitho detailed his harrowing experience of abduction inside Karen Police Station, speaking to the press shortly after his release on Wednesday, July 17, 2024.
Gaitho revealed that the ordeal began when he and his son were blocked by a civilian car shortly after leaving home around 8:05 am.
“This morning, shortly after I left home around 8:05 am, I was blocked by a civilian car. As I was waiting for it to move out, some two other men came on my left side where I was sitting (since) my son was driving, opened the door and tried to move me out. They did not identify themselves so I refused to get off the car and instructed my son to drive away,” the journalist explained.
“We drove away and they followed us. I was left with one handcuff on my wrist.”
Upon arriving at Karen police station, Gaitho and his son sought refuge, believing they were in danger of abduction or carjacking.
However, their pursuers followed them inside, forcefully transferring Gaitho into a white Toyota Probox. He described being wedged between two men in plain clothes, enduring physical assault while handcuffed. They demanded to know why he resisted arrest.
“We chose to go to Karen police station because we understood it was an abduction or carjacking or related criminal activity. We entered the station, and those two cars followed us inside, forcing me into their vehicle, a white (Toyota) Probox. I was wedged between two men in plain clothes, handcuffed, and physically assaulted. They demanded to know why I resisted arrest,” he recounted.
‘Mistaken Identity’
Earlier, the National Police Service (NPS) issued a statement clarifying Gaitho’s arrest as a case of mistaken identity intended for Francis Gaitho, a person of interest in their investigation.
“We arrested journalist Macharia Gaitho this morning in a case of mistaken identity, intending to apprehend Francis Gaitho, who is under investigation,” the NPS clarified.
Gaitho disputed this assertion, pointing out significant differences between himself and Francis Gaitho in age, residence, and vehicle ownership.
“I don’t believe I was mistaken for Francis Gaitho, as I am twice his age. Also, he doesn’t live where I live and doesn’t drive a car like mine. It is me they were trailing and looking for,” he added.
Family Traumatised
The veteran journalist expressed how traumatic the incident was for his family, particularly his son and elderly mother.
“It is traumatizing when you are abducted by unknown people who refuse to identify themselves. When I asked them to identify themselves, they claimed to have a Subaru and insisted they were policemen with guns,” Mr. Gaitho recounted.
While acknowledging that his profession often exposes him to security issues, he expressed disbelief at being abducted in front of his children.
“Andrew, my son, was brave. He managed to drive me straight into the station… obviously for an 18-year-old young man to go through that, to see his father abducted in a very brutal, violent way, must be very traumatising for him. It is traumatising for my other children who are all here, who got the news and wondered what had happened.”
Gaitho also shared concerns for his 95-year-old mother in Nyeri, fearing the impact of such news on her well-being.
“It’s distressing for my 95-year-old mother in the village to hear that her son has been kidnapped and she doesn’t know by whom… for me I call it the hazards of trade but there are these young people who depend on me.”
