Meru County Governor, Kawira Mwangaza, found herself in a tense standoff with law enforcement on Wednesday afternoon at Ruiga Village, situated in the Imenti Central Constituency. The clash erupted when police officers arrived at a local homestead where Governor Mwangaza was in the midst of donating a cow, as part of her ‘One dairy cow one needy family ‘ outreach program. It is noteworthy that this program had recently been banned by Interior Cabinet Secretary, Kithure Kindiki.
Neighborhood witnesses recounted the dramatic scene as Governor Kawira confronted the police, demanding to know who had dispatched them to the homestead. Her confrontation escalated as she subsequently proceeded to board a police Land Cruiser.
Governor Mwangaza firmly asserted that she was under arrest during this encounter. In contrast, police personnel on the scene contended that she had orchestrated the incident, swiftly entering the police vehicle to feign an arrest.
Moments later, Governor Kawira took to Facebook, sharing images of her disembarking from the police vehicle, accompanied by a caption declaring her newfound freedom. She expressed gratitude to God for her safety.
This confrontation follows the ban on Governor Mwangaza’s ‘Okolea’ outreach program, which was issued by Interior Cabinet Secretary Prof. Kindiki on September 22. Kindiki labeled the program as inciteful, prompting the prohibition.
The decision to ban the program stemmed from a prior incident where chaos erupted during one of Mwangaza’s ‘Okolea Program’ gatherings in Makiri, Igembe South Constituency. During this episode, enraged residents protested by slaughtering a cow and setting fire to mattresses that Mwagaza had intended to distribute to the public.
Prof. Kindiki, in response to these developments, stated, “Reports that have reached me indicate that the Governor’s (Mwangaza) allies were inciteful, disrupted peace, and assaulted journalists, thinking they were defending the Meru governor. The individuals targeted also broke the law.”
He went on to emphasize, “We have banned meetings that incite people. This is final. We are not going to allow it. If you think it is a joke, try it. Don’t try me.”
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