Eric Omondi found himself in the hands of plainclothes police officers on Monday, September 7, moments after kicking off a high-profile signature collection drive in Nairobi’s central business district, outside the famous Archives building along Moi Avenue.
The comedian and activist had launched the Punguza Mzigo campaign in the city, calling on Nairobians to put pen to paper in support of a proposal to slash Kenya’s 47 counties down to just eight.
Footage shared on Instagram by mpashogram showed branded banners at the outdoor gathering, with Omondi addressing members of the public from an elevated platform before the situation took a sharp turn.
What is the Punguza Mzigo campaign? The initiative centres on the argument that devolution, in its current form, has become a financial strain on ordinary Kenyans.
Omondi has been travelling across the country making the case that maintaining 47 county governments is too costly, and that consolidating them into eight would ease the burden on taxpayers.
Before touching down in Nairobi, he had already visited Kakamega, Meru and Mombasa as part of the countrywide drive.
By his own account, those stops had already yielded roughly 450,000 signatures, with the capital city set to be the campaign’s biggest battleground.
Arrest caught on camera
The footage that spread quickly online showed the mood shifting from a campaign rally to a tense street scene, with several men in civilian clothing surrounding Eric on the pavement.
The arrest was not conducted by uniformed officers, a detail that drew immediate attention from viewers.
One commenter, waljay_colloh, questioned why authorities would act against the campaign if it was going nowhere, writing:
“Kama ni kitu haiendi mahali as jalango says mbona anashikwa?”
Another user, tony_kusko, took a lighter tone, joking that the cameraperson filming the arrest might be next:
“Kidogo cameraman atoshe kwa cruiser 😂😂 sharp boy.”*
The video quickly circulated beyond the original post, with many Kenyans debating whether the arrest amounted to a clampdown on civic participation.
Watch the moment Eric Omondi was arrested outside Archives in Nairobi CBD:
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