The Directorate of Criminal Investigations has arrested Evans Onyango Kawala, popularly known as Kidero Jasuba, over remarks shared on social media that authorities say threatened national unity and public peace.
In a statement released on Wednesday, DCI said the 33-year-old suspect was arrested by detectives attached to the elite Operations Support Unit during an operation conducted at the Shujaa Mall area in Kayole.
According to investigators, the arrest followed investigations into online content that had widely circulated on social media platforms and was considered dangerous to public cohesion and stability.
The agency described the posts as “highly inciteful and a serious threat to public cohesion and national stability”.
Kawala is currently being held in police custody as detectives prepare to arraign him in court.
The DCI also issued a warning to members of the public against sharing content or making statements capable of inciting violence, hatred, or division in the country.
“The DCI cautions the public against making public utterances or disseminating content that incites violence, spreads hatred, or undermines peace and national unity,” the agency said. “Such acts amount to serious offences, and those found culpable will face firm legal action in accordance with the law.”
The arrest immediately sparked political reactions, with Siaya Governor James Orengo criticising the operation and accusing the government of silencing dissenting voices.
In a statement shared online, Orengo alleged that Kawala had been abducted because of his criticism of the government and his involvement in the Jacaranda Bunge La Mwananchi movement.
“Tonight, the Ruto administration resorted to desperate measures by abducting Evance ‘Kidero Jasuba’ Kawala, a vocal champion of the Jacaranda Bunge La Mwananchi, simply for speaking truth to power,” Orengo said.
“To the Bunge La Mwananchi family: stay firm. We are actively on this case and will see it through to the end,” he added.
The governor further criticised the administration, saying: “Oppression only signals a government’s weakness. You can abduct a critic, but you cannot chain the spirit of defiance.”
“We demand his immediate and unconditional release,” he said.
The DCI did not directly address claims that Kawala had been abducted but maintained that he had been lawfully arrested and was undergoing processing ahead of court proceedings.
The incident has once again placed attention on the growing debate around freedom of expression, online political activism, and the government’s handling of controversial social media content in Kenya.