Eric Omondi Arrested in Nairobi CBD

NAIROBI — Comedian-turned-activist Eric Omondi was arrested on Monday morning in Nairobi’s Central Business District while leading a signature collection drive aimed at drastically reducing Kenya’s counties from 47 to eight.

Plain-clothes police officers detained Omondi near the Kenya National Archives without incident. Video footage circulating online shows an officer handcuffing the activist before leading him to a waiting police vehicle.

Omondi can be heard asking officers what offence he had committed and where he was being taken, but received no immediate response.At the time of his arrest, Omondi was conducting what supporters described as a peaceful civic exercise.

He and his team have been gathering signatures for a proposed referendum that would reorganise Kenya into eight larger regional units modelled on the former provinces. Under the plan, each region would be led by a single governor.

Omondi argues that the current system of 47 counties has left Kenyans “extremely over-represented and over-burdened.” He maintains that devolution, while well-intentioned, has largely devolved corruption, excessive bureaucracy and high wage bills rather than efficient services.

His campaign, popularly known as “Punguza Mzigo,” also calls for the scrapping of the Senate, the abolition of Women Representative positions, the removal of all nominated members of Parliament and county assemblies, and a significant reduction in the number of Members of County Assemblies.“Reduce the number of counties from 47 to 8, do away with nominated members, scrap the Senate, abolish the Women Reps, and reduce the number of MCAs,” Omondi was heard repeating as he urged passers-by to sign the petition.

The activist has previously stated that his movement had already collected more than 430,000 signatures by July and was targeting one million. He wants the referendum to be held concurrently with the 2027 general election to avoid extra costs, with any savings redirected toward free education from primary school to university level.Omondi’s proposal has drawn both support and criticism.

Supporters, particularly among younger Kenyans, view it as a bold solution to the high cost of governance. Critics argue that reducing counties could undermine the spirit of devolution and dilute local representation in historically marginalised areas.

Police had not issued an official statement on the reasons for the arrest or Omondi’s whereabouts by mid-morning. It remains unclear whether he will be charged or released later in the day.

The arrest marks the latest confrontation between authorities and the outspoken activist, who has repeatedly used public campaigns and street actions to highlight governance and cost-of-living issues. Omondi has urged Kenyans to continue signing the petition at the National Archives and other designated points ahead of its eventual submission to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.

As political activity intensifies ahead of the 2027 polls, Omondi’s “Punguza Mzigo” drive has injected a radical governance reform agenda into the national conversation, forcing a debate on whether Kenya’s devolved system has become too expensive for taxpayers to sustain.