Murkomen, Alai vehemently protest Itumbi’s arrest

By , K24 Digital
On Wed, 3 Jul, 2019 16:36 | 2 mins read
Senate Majority Leader Kipchumba Murkomen on Wednesday, July 3 faulted the government for arresting digital strategist Dennis Itumbi. [PHOTO | FILE]
CS Transport Kipchumba Murkomen. PHOTO/File

Senate Majority Leader, Kipchumba Murkomen, now says digital strategist Dennis Itumbi’s Wednesday arrest by DCI detectives smacks of a scheme meant to divert Kenyans’ attention from the La Mada Hotel “deliberations”.

Murkomen took to Twitter Wednesday to urge the DCI to investigate allegations that Deputy President William Ruto’s life is in danger – and not whether a letter, which brought the claims to the public attention, is genuine or fake.

“Arrest of Dennis Itumbi is a strategy to divert attention from the La Mada meeting and plan. Was there a meeting? Did [the] PS in charge of DCI [Karanja Kibicho] say Ruto must be stopped [the] Saitoti way? Who complained about assassination? And to who? The authenticity of the allegations is more important than a letter,” said Murkomen in a tweet posted to his page Wednesday afternoon.

The Elgeyo-Marakwet Senator’s sentiments were echoed by controversial blogger, Robert Alai, who claimed his June 19 arrest; and now Itumbi’s, are politically motivated.

“The current arrests are targeting people thought to be close to DP William Ruto. In the whole of my interrogation, I was never asked anything to do with terrorism. It was all [about]: ‘Who do you communicate with within [DP] Ruto’s office? Etc. The arrest of Dennis Itumbi is wrong!” posted Alai on Twitter Wednesday.

DCI boss George Kinoti says all leads show that Dennis Itumbi generated a fake letter claiming there was a plot being hatched to kill Deputy President William Ruto.

K24 Digital learnt that the top sleuth directed that Itumbi must reveal the source of his allegations.

Itumbi was arrested on Wednesday morning in Nairobi CBD by DCI detectives, who took him to the agency’s headquarters on Kiambu Road for questioning.

The DCI boss says Itumbi was arrested for “posting alarming information”.

The former blogger-turned-State House digital officer was taken to Muthaiga Police Station, where he is expected to spend the night.

Itumbi’s lawyers unsuccessfully attempted to have him released on police bond Wednesday.

Our sources said the controversial online personality was booked in at the Muthaiga police post at 3:40pm Wednesday under the OB number 51/3/7/2019.

Last week, divisions within the ruling Jubilee Party widened when a shocking claim surfaced that there was a plan to kill DP Ruto, with a section of politicians allied to Ruto pointing an accusing finger at Interior PS Karanja Kibicho.

DCI detectives investigated the claims, and said they had narrowed down on two people, who, most likely, drafted a letter that “spilled the beans” on the alleged assassination plot.

One of the two people, the DCI now says, is Dennis Itumbi.