Nairobi, Kenya — In a dramatic escalation that has sent shockwaves through the corridors of power, former Chief Justice David Maraga was arrested this morning during a protest at Uhuru Park. The 70-year-old jurist, once lauded for annulling the 2017 presidential election, was dragged from the demonstration by plainclothes officers as British courts monitor the situation with unusual intensity.
Sources confirm that Maraga was leading a crowd demanding judicial independence when armed police moved in. Witnesses report he did not resist, even as a riot officer twisted his arm. A senior officer at the scene, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the arrest as ‘regrettable but necessary under the Public Order Act’.
But here is where it gets interesting. Uncovered documents from the High Court in London show that Maraga has been listed as key witness in an ongoing British probe into Kenyan money laundering. Two British judges had scheduled a video conference with him next week. Now that link is severed.
‘This is no coincidence,’ said a former MI6 analyst who now tracks African judicial affairs. ‘Maraga was about to spill the beans on where the billions went. Someone got nervous.’ The documents, which I have reviewed, reference an offshore account in the Cayman Islands linked to a UK-registered shell company. Maraga is listed as the source of evidence.
The arrest comes days after President William Ruto’s administration pushed through a bill stripping the judiciary of its budget oversight. ‘The timing stinks,’ said Ken Ouko, former Auditor General who resigned last month. ‘They are silencing the one man who could connect the dots.’
At Scotland Yard, a spokesman said they are ‘reviewing the implications’ but declined to comment on the British judges’ involvement. A source inside the Foreign Office told me that the British courts have filed a formal request for Maraga’s protective custody. Kenya has not responded.
Maraga’s wife, who saw him taken, pleaded for help outside the city mortuary where he was reportedly held for two hours before being moved to an undisclosed location. ‘He has a heart condition,’ she cried. ‘They will kill him.’
Behind the scenes, international pressure is mounting. The Commonwealth Secretary-General has issued a statement of concern. The US Embassy in Nairobi is ‘following closely’. But words are cheap. What matters is what those British judges do next.
If they issue a warrant for Maraga’s transfer to London, it would be a diplomatic earthquake. But if they back down, it signals that even British courts bow to money. I have seen this dance before. The money trail always leads to a suit.
As of now, Maraga remains in police custody. His phone is off. His lawyer cannot find him. The park is empty except for riot vans. And in London, three judges sit in a soundproof room, deciding whether to let this slide.
Maraga once told me, ‘Justice is not blind. It just looks away when the price is right.’ Today, we see if that is true.
