Makueni County Assembly speaker Douglas Mbilu was on Monday, July 24, 2023, arrested after he surrendered at Wote Police Station.

Mbilu was arrested by DCI officers and ferried to an unknown destination shortly after he surrendered to the police.

Prior to his arrest, police had launched a hunt on the speaker over his alleged involvement in anti-government protests at Emali township.

During the arrest, DCI officers barred the speaker’s lawyers including Kitui County Assembly speaker Kennedy Kinengo who had accompanied Mbilu as they took him out of Wote Police station.

Speaking after the arrest, member of assembly Thange ward Eric Katumo explained their disappointment on how their speaker have been arrested.

“We are angry about how the police have arrested speaker Mbilu as a criminal and taken from Wote taken him through Emali to an unknown place ” Katumo said

According to Katumo, contrary to the speculation of his arrest being linked with the anti-government protests at Emali township, it is political.

” We know it is not about anti-government protests it is about political wars among Makueni leaders who are inciting and planning his arrest” Katumo said

Addressing the media with other members of the assembly, Katumo has said that they are ready to follow up on where he has been taken and ensure he is released despite them not knowing where he is.

Katumo says as members of the assembly they are now confused and that the assembly meetings can not go on in such a state.

He has added that the government will not intimidate them as the Makueni leaders to shut up on the high cost of living affecting people. They have vowed to continue involving themselves with the anti-government protests despite the arrests.

“We are not involving ourselves in the anti-government protests because of political issues but because of the hard times facing Kenyans,” Katumo said

Kisungi Katete MCA Kithungo Kitundu has echoed Katumo’s s words demanding the release of their speaker.

He has stated that they will not be cowered by the arrest of the speaker because police had been issued with a demo notice.

“We demand the immediate and unconditional release of the speaker of the county assembly of Makueni Douglas Mbilu,” Katete said.

Katete has asked the police to get ready to arrest all of them because they represent the people of Makueni in any engagement.

“We want to tell the police to be prepared to arrest all of us because we represent the people of Makueni and they have demanded that we lead them in any engagement maaandamano or otherwise,” Katete said

The member of the assembly has emphasized that when the leadership of Azimio la Umoja- One Kenya coalition calls for anti-government protests they will participate fully.

Last week on Thursday, July 20, 2023, the deputy majority leader of the Makueni assembly Francis Mutuku Musso was arrested at his home in Kilili village, Makueni.

The current Kilili/Kalamba member of the assembly was arrested in conjunction with the anti-government protests in Emali township along Mombasa Nairobi highway in Makueni County.

MCA Mutuku Musso was held at Kola police station and later arraigned at Makindu Court in Makueni on Friday, July 21, 2023, where he was charged with taking part in an unlawful protest along in Emali township contrary to section 70 as read with section 80 of the panel code

Musso was released on 100k cash bail and was ordered to appear before the same court on August 8, 2023.