By Reporter
Former Cabinet Minister Raphael Tuju continues to battle on after the police on Tuesday allegedly arrested his personal assistant Steve Okoth Mwanga and failed to produce him in court.
Speaking to the media outside his contested Dari Premises, Tuju said Mwanga was being detained by police without being presented in court.
“Now they have arrested my close associate, Steve Mwanga, who was a director at Jubilee, to intimidate and terrorize him. He was down with pneumonia a few days ago, and he has not recovered. They probably want him dead,” he said.
But Nairobi Regional police boss Issa Mohammed said he was not aware of Mwanga’s arrest and detention at Langata police station.
Tuju said his legal team had gone to court and expressed optimism of securing his release.
Mwanga was with Tuju on the day he went missing after he reported and wrote a statement at Karen police station that a white vehicle was trailing him.
Tuju was arrested by police but fell sick at the police station and was rushed to the ICU at Karen Hospital. He was discharged recently from the hospital.
Tuju said the vehicle which trailed him did not have a plate number, just like some of the police vehicles that raided his place in the dead of night.
Recently, the bid by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to search Tuju’s Karen home flopped after High Court Judge D. Mutai declined to give the order.
The Judge said the DCI did not disclose an offence that was to be investigated against Tuju and struck out the application.
“As it stands therefore, I find that on a balance of probabilities, the application does not disclose an offence that is to be investigated on the part of the respondent himself, i.e., of him giving false information to a person employed in the service being investigated as against a person employed in the service contrary to section 129(a) of the Penal Code. In view hereof, I find that it is only in the interest of justice that the application be struck out and hereby strike out the application dated 24th/3/2026 with no orders as to costs,” he ruled.
Recently, former Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa asked President Ruto to shed light on how he got the title deed of the disputed commercial land, which he shared with ODM party leader Dr Oburu Oginga.
Oburu in a recent radio talk show said President Ruto told him that the new owner of the premises has a title deed to the facility and even shared it with him.
“I want to challenge the president to make public how he got into possession of the title deed and when and how? We may be scavengers but we only need justice for Tuju,” he said.
President Ruto while in Rarieda at the birthplace of Tuju said a solution over the estate of the latter should be found.
Ruto said Tuju should be provided with honest advice in order to salvage his estate over a commercial debt dispute with a commercial bank.
He said the solution to the dispute should be arrived at to enable Tuju to move on with his business.
Ruto said Tuju needs to get honest advisors and accused a section of politicians of using his woes to sell their political agenda.
“Recently some people went to lie to Tuju and asked him to claim he has been abducted. Tuju needs honest friends and advice in order to be helped. He doesn’t need scavengers who are trying to scavenge about the misfortunes of a citizen. Those looking for prominence over the tribulations of a fellow Kenyan. We want Tuju to be advised and his property salvaged so that he can move on. They are trying to introduce the name of former President Uhuru Kenyatta in their cheap politics,” he said.
On Monday, Wiper leader and the leader of Azimio La Umoja was driven to the police station after he agreed with the arresting officers that he would be delivered to the facility.
Kalonzo stayed at the police station for hours and condemned the police harassment of Tuju and demanded justice for the former Rarieda MP.
Tuju said it was wrong for the police to continue occupying his premises without any court order or documents, and businesses in the facility continue to suffer huge losses.
“With utmost humility, may I seek your kind and gracious intervention as the Inspector General. In the middle of the night of 13th March 2026, a contingent of over 100 policemen raided Dari Business Park with an inordinate number of police vehicles. They had no court order. Until this morning the police are still occupying the Business Park. They are waiting for instructions from above. There is no documentation or explanation from any police officer,” he wrote.
Tuju said the police should allow the tenants to access the facility even if they deny him entry into the premises.
“I request that while you have all the brute power of force to stop me personally from gaining access, the tenants running legitimate businesses should be allowed to get items like laptops from the offices,” he wrote.
Tuju said he was yet to get any verbal or written confirmation from the police over their continued stay in his premises.
“Not even a verbal explanation. We are witnessing an amazing Hollywood playing deaf response. Besides all the above, may I, with all the respect I can fathom, request that you address the following issues that should not be associated with our police force, ‘Utumishi kwa Wote,'” he wrote.
Tuju said businesses in the premises continue to incur huge losses as they cannot access the facility.
“Your Officers have been occupying the Dari Business Park for the last 6 days. The 24 tenants, including the Tamarind restaurant, continue to incur huge losses. Professionals like lawyers have not been able to remove vital files and laptops from their offices. Even the politest request from professionals seeking to get documents from their private offices under police supervision or escort has been stopped by rudeness at worst or silence at best,” he wrote.
Tuju asked the Inspector General of police to explain to him why the police raided his premises at night when they did not have any court documents.
“Some of the police vehicles that came for the 2:40 a.m. raid removed their vehicle number plates and identification of the police station they originated from. As a civilized country, we need a professional police force. Many of the policemen wore balaclava masks,” he wrote.
