There was drama at the home of Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi on Friday night as police surrounded his home in a bid to arrest him over alleged hate speech and incitement.
This came soon after Sudi addressed a public meeting in Eldoret.
About 100 police officers camped at the MP’s home near Kapsaret trading centre along Kisumu highway in Eldoret but did not enter the compound.
The police fired tear gas as hundreds of protesting villagers arrived at the home and used logs and rocks to block all roads in a bid to stop the officers from arresting the legislator.
At one point, the officers disconnected power to the home and gained entry but did not access the MP.
He was said to have been with friends and kept on communicating with colleagues through social media. A security officer was injured during the fracas at the home.
“Must they deploy more than 100 police officers to arrest me? What crime have I done to these people? I wish they used the same energy to arrest the Covid-19 millionares”, said Sudi in one of his several tweets.
After camping at the house for eight hours, the police officers drove away without the MP.
A group of the MPs led by Uasin Gishu woman representative Gladys Shollei were present during the confrontation at Sudi’s home.
Shollei, a lawyer, protested, complaining that Sudi had been in Eldoret during the day but was not arrested.
“It’s the same police officers who licensed the meeting he held in Eldoret and we are wondering why they have turned up at night at his home causing unnecessary tensions in this area,” she said.
She asked the police to let the MP present himself to the police on Monday instead of seeking to detain him for the whole weekend. Shollei pleaded with the villagers to remain calm as the matter was being sorted out.
Sudi is wanted over utterances against President Uhuru Kenyatta and his mother Mama Ngina Kenyatta. The MP posted on social media video clips in which he lectured the President and the former First Lady with remarks which were widely condemned as abusive and inciting.
The NCIC said the MP is under investigation over the remarks.
Sudi refused to withdraw the remarks and insisted that he had not abused anyone.
“They must tell me what I have done before I apologise,” he said, describing those condemning his remarks as “conmen and looters”.
Uhuru responded to the remarks, telling those abusing his mother to leave her alone and go and abuse their own mothers.
“Now that the president has responded to my remarks, we are now equal and that matter should end there,” Sudi said at the public meeting in Eldoret on Friday.
At the meeting, Sudi asked the police not to accept to be used to harass and intimidate Deputy President William Ruto’s allies.