Kenya: Jaguar arrested for incitement

Nairobi regional police commander Philip Ndolo confirmed the arrest in an interview with Milele FM. Jaguar allegedly led an unspecified number of young people to forcibly occupy stalls at the new Mwariro Market in Karioko, Nairobi, on 27 June.

The Kenyan singer and Starehe constituency MP tweeted about the arrest shortly after his detainment.

"I'm currently at Nairobi Area," he wrote. "The charges against me are unclear though they seem connected to Mwariro Market. I'll keep fighting for my constituents. Being a leader is tough, but my resolve remains unshaken. Allocations at Mwariro Market have to be fair."

On 20 June, the legislature called on the government to come up with a fair modal in allocating spaces for traders at the market. Jaguar claimed that some private developers had corruptly allocated stalls to outsiders at the expense of traders who had been operating at the market for years.

He went on to give the Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure Housing, Urban Development and Public Works seven days to guarantee fairness in space allocation, failure of which would lead to a demonstration by the traders.

This is not Jaguar's first run-in with the law. In 2019, he was arrested and charged with incitement after uttering statements that were deemed xenophobic towards foreign traders. He accused Chinese, Tanzanian and Ugandan traders of dominating local businesses, especially in the Nyamakima, Gikomba, and Kamukunji markets. 

Jaguar was elected as MP for the Starehe constituency in 2017. As an artist, he has collaborated with musicians such as Nigeria's Iyanya, Tanzanian rapper AY and South African duo Mafikizolo, among others. Although he continues to hold performances, his last project was 2018's 'Nikuvishe Pete', which featured Kenya's Lubisia.