Chief Inspector Dishen Angoya, the Officer Commanding Station (OCS) at the Central Police Station in Nairobi, has been arrested for allegedly releasing 64 suspects who had been detained during Monday’s violent fuel price protests.
Angoya was taken into custody on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, by the Deputy Regional Police Commander and is facing charges of abuse of office. Authorities are investigating the circumstances under which the 64 individuals, who were arrested for various public order offences, were freed without lawful clearance.
“Kindly be informed that today at 1200hrs, Chief Inspector Dishen Angoya, the OCS Central Police Station, Nairobi Region, was arrested… for the offence of abuse of office after allegedly releasing 64 prisoners arrested for offences relating to public order without lawful authority,” a police signal stated.
At the time of his detention, the senior officer reportedly complained of high blood pressure and remains under police guard pending arraignment.
DCI Hunts Protesters After Sh4.5M Vehicle Torched
The OCS’s arrest unfolds alongside a massive crackdown by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) following a chaotic Monday that left parts of the capital in ruins.
Detectives have launched an intensive forensic probe into the torching of a Mazda CX-5 belonging to a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) politician along the Thika Superhighway. The DCI confirmed that cybercrime teams are analyzing viral video footage to identify and track down the rowdy youths who ambushed the motorist and set the vehicle ablaze.
The highway incident was part of a larger, near-total transport shutdown. Matatu operators, digital cab drivers, and boda boda riders withdrew their fleets to protest the historic fuel price hikes announced on May 14.
The economic paralysis forced the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) into a six-hour emergency meeting on Monday night. EPRA subsequently issued a rare mid-cycle pricing revision, knocking Sh10.06 off diesel (now retailing at Sh232.86) and increasing kerosene by Sh38.60 (now Sh191.38), while leaving Super Petrol unchanged at Sh214.25 in Nairobi.
Casualties and Mass Arrests Confirmed
Providing an official update on the toll of the demonstrations, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen confirmed that the unrest across Nairobi, Nakuru, Kajiado, and Kakamega counties turned fatal.
According to the Ministry of Interior, four people lost their lives and at least 30 others sustained severe injuries. Security agencies arrested a total of 348 suspects nationwide.
CS Murkomen issued a stern warning against the destruction of property, stating that the government will deal firmly with individuals engaging in organized criminal activities under the guise of exercising constitutional rights.