Flying Squad officers have arrested Dennis Itumbi on Wednesday at City Hall, Nairobi over links to Deputy President William Ruto “murder” letter.
Mr Itumbi is the Secretary for Digital in the communications department at the office of the President.
He, however, operates from DP Ruto’s office.
Detectives at the weekend said investigations into the alleged “assassination plot” had narrowed down to two aides suspected to have generated and circulated the fake letter.
The authorities indicated that the duo from the communications department were behind the document that has created a storm after four Cabinet secretaries were summoned at the Directorate of Criminal Investigation last Monday.
CONTROVERSIAL
Once a staunch defender of the Jubilee administration during its first term, from 2013 to 2018, Mr Itumbi has since taken a low profile after he and three other communication directors — Edward Irungu, Munyori Buku, and Eric Ng’eno — were reprimanded by President Uhuru Kenyatta in June 2016 over the manner they were handling State House communication.
Mr Itumbi, a bachelor and a teetotaller, came to national prominence with his virulent attacks on the ICC, which had charged Mr Kenyatta and Dr Ruto over their involvement in post-election violence that rocked Kenya in 2007/2008.
The ICC claimed that he had hacked their systems in order to reveal the names of witnesses against the suspects.
In 2012, the police arrested him over this and detained him for four days, but did not prefer formal charges against him.
He sued the government for illegal detention and was awarded Sh5 million by Justice Joseph Onguto last year.
Following his arrest Wednesday, Mr Itumbi has been taken DCI headquarters.