Didacus Malowa, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.

Gunfire, screams, and tears marked a chaotic day at Ruiru Law Courts after anti-terror police dramatically re-arrested Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) youth leader Peter Kinyanjui Wanjiru, alias Kawanjiru, just moments after he was freed on bond.

Kawanjiru, a vocal ally of former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua, had earlier been released on a KSh 500,000 bond with two sureties by Chief Magistrate Joseph Were.

The court had rejected a police request to detain him longer, ruling that the state had not provided sufficient grounds to justify continued detention.

"The respondent shall execute a bond of KSh 500,000 with two sureties of a similar amount," the Magistrate ruled.

But the ink on the court order had barely dried when officers from the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) swarmed the premises, guns drawn.

As Kawanjiru sat alongside his family members, he was grabbed by the heavily armed officers and forcibly bundled into a waiting white van.

What followed was a terrifying standoff as his mother, Beatrice Wanjiru, wailed uncontrollably and tried to shield her son from the officers, but she was pushed aside.

Police fired several rounds into the air to scatter the crowd that had gathered in protest, sending people running for cover.

The van sped off with Kawanjiru, leaving behind stunned relatives pelting the van, shaken onlookers, and rising tension.

Kawanjiru had been arrested from his home in Limuru, Kiambu county, and accused of involvement in the June 25 torching of Kiambu Law Courts during the Gen Z-led protests.

Elsewhere in Kiambu, a similar script played out as DCP youth leader Wanjiku Thiga was also re-arrested just after being granted a KSh 50,000 cash bail by Kiambu law courts.

In Thiga's case, plainclothes officers intercepted her at the Kiambu Police Station and whisked her away without explanation.

Kirinyaga woman representative and lawyer Maina Njeri confirmed her arrest, explaining who had taken her away.

"She was grabbed from Kiambu Police Station and the OCS indicated that she was not told where Wanjiku Thiga was being taken, but she was aware it was the DCI who took Wanjiku Thiga. Up to now, we are not aware where she is," she said.

According to the police, Thiga is under investigation for allegedly financing the chaos witnessed in Kiambu during the protests.

As earlier reported, Kawanjiru was violently removed from his Limuru home by men claiming to be DCI officers.

The raid, which saw armed intruders fire shots and trash the property around midnight, led to his unexplained disappearance that lasted nearly 48 hours.

His family searched tirelessly and feared for his safety, accusing security agents of enforcing a political abduction.

Eventually, police confirmed they had Peter was in custody in connection with disturbances during the Gen‑Z protests in Kiambu.

Source: TUKO.co.ke