This archive report was first published on 16 October 2019.
On October 16, 2019, Malindi Member of Parliament Aisha Jumwa was arrested at her Kakuyuni home in Malindi, Kilifi County, at 3am. The arrest came after a man was shot dead in her constituency the previous night.
Police had been camping outside her gate since Tuesday at 10pm and stormed into her compound to arrest Jumwa and four others. The five are accused of storming an Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) meeting at the home of Reuben Katana in Ganda, where a scuffle ensued.
According to police records, Jumwa and her entourage arrived at Katana's home at 1730hrs to inquire about the gathering, despite official campaign hours having elapsed. A scuffle broke out when she started questioning the organisers, and the crowd became rowdy and violent, pelting stones and crude weapons at the MP and her group.
Police officers, including the area deputy sub-county police commander Solomon Kosgey, fired four bullets in the air to disperse the crowd. However, 48-year-old Ngumbao Jola, an uncle to Katana, was left nursing a gunshot wound and was later pronounced dead upon arrival at the Malindi General Hospital.
It remains unclear whose gun fired the fatal bullet. Jumwa denied any involvement, stating that she left the scuffle before any shots were fired and that she was not armed.
A witness at the event described the scene as chaotic, with Jumwa and her goons disrupting the peaceful meeting. Jumwa and the four others are being held at Port Police Station and are expected to be arraigned on October 16, 2019.
