A man who hang on a chopper carrying Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya on Wednesday has been arrested and is to be charged with attempted suicide on Monday.
Mr Johakim Mutwiri, 41, was presented before a Maua court on Thursday but was not charged after his mother pleaded with the court that he was mentally unstable. She was asked to present medical reports indicating Mr Mutwiri’s mental status.
It also emerged that Mr Mutwiri, while in Nairobi some years back, jumped from the first floor of a building and sustained minor injuries.
Igembe South police boss Mr Hussein Ali said police arrested Mr Mutwiri on Thursday and on interrogation, he said he wanted to travel to Nairobi.
“We demanded to know why he had dangerously clung on the chopper and he said his intention was to hike a lift to Nairobi to look for a job,” Mr Ali told Nation.Africa in a phone interview.
Mr Mutwiri caused a major scare at Kiegoi market, Igembe South on Wednesday by hanging on Mr Munya’s chopper when the CS and EALA MP Mpuru Aburi were leaving after addressing a rally.
When the helicopter took off, residents noticed there was a man sitting on the helicopter’s landing skids and shouted at the pilot, alerting him.
Some police officers who were caught unawares shouted at Mr Mutwiri to have him jump off but he stayed put.
As the drama unfolded with scared residents shouting at the pilot, Mr Aburi could be seen through the window trying to say something to the residents who were cheering the man.
All the time, Mr Mutwiri sat on the skids calmly and enjoyed the moment while gesturing to the crowd. After the pilot landed, he jumped and took off as police officers pursued him.
However, residents intervened and pleaded with the officers not to beat him up. He took to his heels and went into hiding until he was arrested on Thursday.
In January 2017, a man who was later nick named “James Bond” hang on ODM leader Raila Odinga’s chopper when it took off. Mr Odinga had visited the region for a voter registration drive.
Mr Julius Mwithalie took security officers by surprise when he clung on the chopper at Maili Tatu grounds in Igembe Central.
The pilot landed after a few minutes at a primary school near Muriri market in Tigania East some 20 kilometres away.
Just like Mr Mutwiri, Mr Mwithalie was charged with attempted suicide but Mr Odinga intervened and he was released. BY DAILY NATION