Kisii Town erupted into song, dance, and teargas this afternoon as Kitutu Chache South MP Anthony Kibagendi made a triumphant return following his release from police custody.

The youthful legislator, who had been arrested in a dramatic style by DCI detectives on Tuesday, was freed by a Narok court on a cash bail of KES 100,000. His return to his constituency transformed into an impromptu political rally, bringing business in the bustling town to a grinding halt and forcing traffic police to divert vehicles away from the CBD.

The Charges and the iPhone

Kibagendi was arraigned before Senior Resident Magistrate Esther Mwikali in Narok—a venue change his lawyers termed "judicial tourism." He faced charges of assault causing actual bodily harm to one Astarico Omariba Moriasi during an altercation at a Java House in Kisii last November.

The charge sheet read like a script from a soap opera. The MP was accused of willfully damaging an iPhone Pro Max valued at KES 230,000 and, in a detail that amused the gallery, smashing "four plates and a cup" worth KES 20,000. Kibagendi denied all charges.

• "State Intimidation": Leading his defense team was Nyamira Senator Okong'o Omogeni, who blasted the state for using the police to settle political scores. "Why drive an MP across three counties—from Nairobi to Kiambu to Nyamira to Narok—just to charge him with a misdemeanor?" Omogeni posed. "This is not prosecution; it is persecution designed to humiliate a leader who speaks his mind."
• The Hero's Welcome: Upon his release, Kibagendi was hoisted onto the shoulders of his supporters. "They can arrest the body, but they cannot arrest the spirit of Kitutu Chache!" he declared to a cheering crowd. He framed the arrest as punishment for his recent criticism of the government’s tax policies.

A Pattern of Arrests?

This incident adds to a growing list of "weekend arrests" targeting vocal politicians. Civil rights groups have raised concern over the weaponization of the criminal justice system, where the process—arrest, transfer, detention—becomes the punishment itself.

As the dust settles in Kisii, the case is set for mention on February 2. But in the court of public opinion, Kibagendi has already spun the narrative, turning a bar brawl allegation into a badge of political martyrdom. For the owner of the broken plates, however, justice remains pending.