Starehe member of Parliament Charles Njagua, alias Jaguar, was arrested outside Parliament in Nairobi on Wednesday amid a storm over allegations that he issued hate remarks against foreign traders in Nairobi.
It was not immediately clear why the Jubilee Party lawmaker was apprehended but it is suspected that police acted on claims that he issued ‘xenophobic’ remarks in Kamukunji on Monday.
The MP’s utterances came hot on the heels of the deportation of Chinese nationals found selling second-hand clothes in Nairobi’s Gikomba market.
Mr Njagua is quoted as saying, “We are not talking about six Chinese nationals. We are talking of hundreds of foreigners who work here (Kenya).
“I give the government 24 hours to evict these foreigners lest I, being a representative of this area, go into their shops, beat them and send them all the way to the airport.”
ACTIONS
The Tanzanian government has since summoned Kenyan High Commissioner to Dar es Salaam Dan Kazungu to explain the threats.
Tanzania’s Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa said President John Magufuli’s government took the remarks seriously.
In addition, Tanzania’s Speaker of Parliament Job Ndugai ordered his government to issue a statement on the safety of Tanzanians in Kenya.
In response, the Kenyan government distanced itself from Mr Njagua’s comments and assured the safety of foreigners who wish to invest in the country.