MP Mukunji: I Survived Assassination Attempt During July 7 Saba Saba Protests

EMBU, Kenya — Manyatta MP Gitonga Mukunji has alleged that his arrest during the July 7, 2024 Saba Saba protests was part of a wider political scheme to eliminate him.

Speaking on Monday at a bursary award ceremony at the University of Embu, the first-term legislator accused political rivals of colluding with rogue police officers to plot his assassination while he was in custody.

Mukunji was arrested alongside a journalist and a boda boda rider during the demonstrations and charged with terrorism.

However, the Anti-Terrorism Court in Kahawa later dismissed the case after finding that prosecutors had failed to establish any evidence linking him to the charges.

The MP claimed he was offered two grim options: to be shot and framed as resisting arrest, or to die in a staged fire at the police station.

He credited his survival to what he described as divine providence and “well-wishers” within the security system who secretly tipped off his family and provided protection.

Mukunji also alleged that his aides were arrested and pressured to sign false statements implicating him in crimes, but they refused.

He suggested that divisions exist within the police, with some officers allegedly complicit in political schemes while others resisted and acted discreetly to protect him.

“The system is not monolithic,” Mukunji told the gathering. “There are those who collude to silence voices, and others who risk their jobs to safeguard justice.”

Defiant, he vowed not to be intimidated, urging security agencies to resist political manipulation and uphold their constitutional mandate.

The claims add to ongoing debates about police conduct during protests, with civil society and legal groups accusing authorities of using the criminal justice system to silence dissent.