NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 7 — Azimio La Umoja One Kenya leader Raila Odinga was on Tuesday denied access to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters where he had gone to express solidarity with former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi.
At the time of his arrival, Matiangi who arrived at the DCI at about 8.30am was being questioned about a claim on a police raid at his Karen home in February.
Odinga who arrived accompanied by several other leaders were demanding to go see the DCI boss Mohamed Amin over the issue.
After close to 20 minutes standoff at the gate with the guards refusing to allow him in, a senior DCI officer came and asked him to leave arguing that Odinga’s presence was causing more chaos.
Odinga had protested saying he should not be stopped from accessing the premises threatening to force himself in.
“This is a public office. You want me to order this people(supporters) to open the gate by force. I have a right to go see the Director(Amin). I have a right to go inside,” a visibly angry Odinga asked.
The senior officer maintained that none of them would be allowed in citing “consultations is on high level” pleading with Odinga to be patient.
During the ensuing melee, security officers drawn from the ATPU and their police counterparts beefed up security around the gates and a motor vehicle driven to the entrance blocking the gates.
It took the intervention of lawyer Dunstun Omari to convince Odinga to leave the premises.
He told him they had agreed on way forward and that the ex-interior CS would be released.
Following this, Odinga who was accompanied by his supporters addressed the media briefly outside the DCI Headquarters gates before leaving.
