Comedian Eric Omondi arrested in Nairobi CBD

The arrest took place right outside the Nairobi National Archives along Moi Avenue, where Omondi was actively launching his "Punguza Mzigo" referendum campaign. 

The ambitious initiative seeks to gather one million signatures to support a constitutional amendment aimed at reducing the number of counties in Kenya from 47 to 8 regional units, alongside scrapping several legislative seats to ease the heavy taxation burden on citizens. 

Video footage captured on the pavement shows undercover officers swiftly handcuffing the activist and bundling him into a waiting police vehicle without responding to his queries regarding the reason for the apprehension.

Before the incident, Omondi claimed to have already collected roughly 450,000 signatures from previous signature drives conducted across Mombasa, Meru, and Kakamega. 

Central Police Station OCPD Patrick Gogo confirmed the arrest, stating that Omondi was detained for convening an unlawful public gathering without giving prior official notification to the authorities as required by law. 

OCPD Gogo emphasized that while citizens have the right to express their opinions, public order must be maintained within the CBD, adding that the activist remains in custody pending processing and potential arraignment.