The National Police Service (NPS) has dismissed claims that Juja Member of Parliament George Koimburi was abducted, saying the lawmaker had deliberately evaded arrest in connection with an ongoing land fraud investigation.
In a statement released Monday, the NPS addressed a viral video circulating on social and mainstream media that purportedly showed the MP being dumped at a farm in Juja.
The police service said Koimburi went into hiding after learning that officers intended to arrest him on Friday, May 23, following approval from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) to proceed with charges.
“The MP, having been fully aware of police intentions to arrest him, evaded a dragnet and duped officers by escaping on a motorcycle with his private security and switched off his mobile phone,” the NPS said.
Koimburi’s vehicle was intercepted, but only the driver was found inside, the statement said.
The driver was taken in, recorded a statement, and was later released. The MP, who remained out of reach over the weekend, resurfaced on Monday amid the abduction allegations.
Police say officers from Juja visited the location shown in the video, and the scene has been “properly documented.”
In addition, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) is analyzing the amateur footage and investigating all circumstances surrounding the claims.
“The National Police Service urges anyone with information regarding the incident shown in the video to come forward and assist with the investigation,” the statement concluded.
Koimburi was allegedly abducted outside a church in Mugutha, Kiambu County, on Sunday. He was later found dumped at a coffee plantation in Kiambu on Monday.
Video footage of Sunday’s incident showed Koimburi being driven away in a silver Subaru Forester bearing civilian registration plates after he was captured.
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who visited the legislator in a Nairobi hospital on Monday, thereafter claimed the MP was found with soft-tissue injuries from being “badly beaten”.
He told reporters that the MP lost his voice from the incident due to a dangerous chemical the captors allegedly made him inhale.
