Comedian Eric Omondi and other strong men were arrested by police officers on February 21 in the afternoon for attempting to force their way into the Parliament building in protest of the rising cost of living.
In an attempt to get National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula to address them, they blocked the busy Parliament Road, which prompted police officers to use tear gas to disperse the crowd after they failed to convince them to leave the premise.
The speaker’s refusal to provide the group audience from within the Parliamentary grounds led to an attempt at forced entry that resulted in the arrest of the comedian and a small number of other protestors who were then put into a police van and driven away.
The well-known comedian had gathered a sizable group of demonstrators, some of them were bare-chested and chanting. They displayed signs with the words “Unga juu, Mafuta juu,” which reflected the status of the country with regard to living costs.
“Mtoke nje mtuongeleshe ama tukuje ndani” Eric Omondi was heard saying.
This wasn’t the first time the comedian was arrested at the Parliament building. Eric Omondi was arrested at the Parliament buildings in November 2021 as he protested the “play 75% local content” policy that was being implemented across all local media outlets. His main argument during the demonstrations was that local artists were being overshadowed by foreign music and films.
