Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi finally surrenders to police
What you need to know:
- Mr Sudi arrived at the station few minutes to 8am Sunday.
- he was accompanied by his lawyer Gladys Shollei, who is also the Uasin Gishu Woman Representative.
- Tension was high at Mr Sudi’s residence as tens of police officers barricaded his home in an attempt to capture him.
- During the operation, one General Service Unit officer was injured on his right hand thumb.
The two-day dramatic police search for controversial Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi has ended as he presented himself to Langas Police Station in Uasin Gishu County on Sunday.
Police had been seeking to arrest the MP over hate speech and incitement claims.
Mr Sudi arrived at the station a few minutes to 8am Sunday with his lawyer Gladys Shollei, who is also the Uasin Gishu woman representative.
He was also accompanied by MPs Caleb Kositany (Soy), Cornelius Serem (Aldai) and Didmus Barasa (Kimilili), Nandi Governor Stephen Sang, Uasin Gishu Speaker Isaac Terer and other leaders.
Mr Sudi and a team of his lawyers were later flown to the Dog Section Unit in Nakuru in a police air wing helicopter. Following their arrival at around 11 am, he was transferred to Nakuru Central Police Station for further interrogation.
The MP was then booked at the station and locked up in the cells as heavily armed police officers stood guard and blocked access by members of the public.
Ms Sholei, who briefed the media said they were yet to know the charges the MP would face.
"Mr Sudi, like any other law abiding citizen, presented himself to police. We expect that he will be presented before court within the 24 hours, as required by the Constitution," she said.
"We are, however, yet to receive any communication on what police intend to charge him with.
Home barricaded
Earlier, police tried in vain to arrest the Kapseret MP, an ardent defender of Deputy President William Ruto, despite combing his home for more than 10 hours on Friday night.
There was drama after charged youths vowed to clash with a contingent of heavily armed police officers in an attempt to scuttle plans of arresting the lawmaker.
Tension was high at Mr Sudi’s residence as tens of police officers barricaded his home in an attempt to capture him.
The youths, who had armed themselves with arrows, bows, clubs and machetes, were ready to face the officers led by Uasin Gishu County Police Commander Johnstone Ipara outside the legislator's home.
The heavily armed police eventually broke into the residence in the wee hours of Saturday morning but could not find the MP.
At the MP’s residence, all the lights were switched off as senior police officers insisted that they were waiting for dawn so that he could surrender.
The home was literally dark with locals screaming and threatening to attack the police officers with poisoned arrows.
Whereabouts unknown
The security agents arrived at Mr Sudi's home at around 8.30pm and camped outside his home until 7.10am on Saturday when they left with his whereabouts remaining a puzzle, only for him to surrender Sunday morning.
It had emerged that out of seven people arrested at Mr Sudi's home, two were police officers attached to the Presidential Escort Unit.
The officers were Simon Siengo who was in possession of a Ceska pistol, Issack Dida, who was in possession of a Jericho pistol and C.I Ekiru who is suspected to have fled the compound alongside the MP.
During the operation, one General Service Unit officer was injured on his right hand thumb in the process of gaining entry. He was allegedly injured by the MP's guard identified as Samuel Kibiwot who also sustained gunshot wounds on both his right and left shoulders.
Reporting by Onyango K'Onyango, Barnabas Bii and Joseph Openda
