Embu Town was engulfed in chaos on Tuesday morning following the mysterious arrest of Manyatta Member of Parliament Gitonga Mukunji, with residents taking to the streets in protest. Demonstrators, mainly youth, clashed with police in a dramatic escalation of unrest that brought the town’s operations to a standstill.
Protesters set bonfires and barricaded key roads, including the busy Embu-Meru and Embu-Kiritiri highways near the NHIF offices, effectively paralyzing traffic. Businesses, banks, supermarkets, shops, and government offices were forced to close for a second consecutive day as tensions ran high. Police officers fired tear gas and live rounds into the air to disperse the crowds, but unrest persisted throughout the morning.
The demonstrations were triggered by the sudden arrest of MP Mukunji on Monday afternoon under unclear circumstances. According to his lawyer, Advocate Ndegwa Njiru, Mukunji was apprehended around 3:00 p.m. and booked at Kibii Police Station at 3:57 p.m., under OB number 06/07/07/2025.
Njiru added that the station’s Officer Commanding Station (OCS) informed him that Mukunji was later transferred to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) offices in Juja. Although the OCS hinted that the legislator may face incitement charges, no formal charges have been presented, and authorities have yet to issue an official statement explaining his arrest.
To complicate matters, Mukunji’s current whereabouts remain unknown more than 24 hours after his arrest, and his vehicle is still parked at Kibii Police Station. The lack of communication has stirred outrage across Manyatta and the larger Embu County, with residents accusing the government of political persecution and unlawful detention.
Calls for Mukunji’s immediate release are growing louder, and local leaders allied to the MP are expected to hold a press briefing to demand answers. As the pressure mounts on law enforcement, Embu remains on edge, with fears that further protests could erupt if clarity and justice are not swiftly delivered.
