Starehe MP Jaguar arrested over alleged incitement

Starehe Member of Parliament Charles Njagua popularly known as Jaguar was on Wednesday arrested over his alleged inciteful remarks against foreign traders.

Njagua was arrested outside Parliament Buildings by plain clothed police officers and loaded into a waiting car around 12:30 PM.

This follows remarks he made while vising traders along Kirinyaga Road condemning foreigners from running businesses in Nairobi.

” If you assess our markets, Ugandans and Tanzanians have taken over our businesses… Now we are saying enough is enough. If a 24-hour ultimatum is not enough for them to be deported, we will remove them and we’ll beat them up and we will not fear anyone,” said Njagua.

Taking to walk back his remarks which have caused a diplomatic row with Tanzania, the former musician turned politician took to Twitter to try and do some damage control.

“My sentiments echoed yesterday with a directive to C.S Matiang’i was meant for the Chinese who have invaded our markets making businesses almost unbearable bearing for our citizens. I am not against any regional unions that are meant to promote both local and regional trade,” he tweeted.

On June 12, 2019, CS Mataing’i ordered the deportation of all foreigners doing business as traders in Kenyan markets.

This was after public outrage over the increased presence of Chinese nationals trading in Nairobi’s Gikomba market.

According to the CS, all foreigners trading in Kenyan markets are operating illegally, since the government does not issue ‘trading’ permits.

“We are not issuing work permits to traders. We don’t do that as government. We don’t have a classification of work permits called traders and any people who are in markets trying to trade… those are illegal immigrants they are here illegally and our security understands that. We will deport them,” said Matiang’i.