The National Police Service (NPS) has issued an apology for the forceful arrest of veteran journalist Macharia Gaitho, describing the incident as “highly regrettable.”
In a statement posted on social media platform X, the NPS emphasized that the arrest was a case of mistaken identity and reiterated its stance against targeting journalists.
“We reiterate that as a Service, we do not target journalists in any way, and today’s incident is highly regrettable,” the statement read.
The intended target of the arrest was social media influencer Francis Gaitho, who shares the same last name as the journalist and is currently under investigation.
“The National Police Service would like to clarify to the public that this morning, we arrested journalist Macharia Gaitho in a case of mistaken identity, meant for the arrest of Francis Gaitho who is our subject of investigation,” the police explained.
The wrongful arrest of Macharia Gaitho occurred on Wednesday morning at Karen Police Station. Gaitho, accompanied by his son, was intercepted by a Subaru as they left their home.
The journalist drove to Karen Police Station, where he was forcibly bundled into a car. A video recorded by his son shows Gaitho being shoved into a white Probox by individuals in civilian clothes while police officers looked on.
Macharia Gaitho’s daughter, Anita Gaitho, later confirmed on social media that her father had been returned to the Karen Police Station in the same vehicle that had taken him.
“I’m with my dad @MachariaGaitho. He’s just been brought to Karen police station by the car that abducted him,” she tweeted.
“He’s safe although they roughed him up a bit. We’re making the abduction report right now.”
