Police arrest LSK President Nelson Havi

Detectives had arrested Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Nelson Havi after Mercy Wambua, the lobby's CEO, filed an assault complaint yesterday.

Mr Havi is currently being questioned at Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters along Kiambu Road, and denies assaulting Ms Wambua.

She alleges that he assaulted her during a council meeting held Monday at LSK headquarters in Nairobi. 

She reported the incident at Muthangari Police Station under OB number 34/12/7/2021 yesterday, before heading to the police surgeon at Aga Khan Hospital to obtain a P3 form. 

Conflicting accounts

While speaking to Nation.Africa, both Ms Wambua and Mr Havi have given conflicting accounts of what transpired at the meeting.

The meeting had brought national council members including regional representatives with most of them attending virtually.

According to Ms Wambua, while walking into the boardroom for the meeting scheduled for 11am Monday, she says she was shocked to walk into the boardroom to find some "strange" members in attendance. 

Unfazed, she sat and told those present that she was there for the council meeting. 

“I was expecting to see legitimate council members. They were like 8 of them, Esther Ang’awa, Jane Odiya and Herine Kabita. However, Jane is not a legitimate council member,” Ms Wambua told Nation.Africa.

At this point, some council members had joined the meeting virtually.

She alleges that one of the strangers asked her what she was doing there and asked her to leave. 

“One of the illegitimate council members told me that I need to give them space and I should go somewhere else. I asked them where else I would go,” she said. 

She then moved to inform those who were attending virtually that she was unable to oath the meeting and that she was being chased away. She said she would oath the meeting from her office.

“It was then that I said, for the record, it is important to know that Nelson Havi and I are here. When I mentioned Havi, he stood and he charged towards me. He slammed the laptop to close it,” she alleges, adding that the laptop smashed her fingers. 

“I lifted the top of the laptop, to proceed with the meeting, but he slammed it again. The pain was so immense and I walked out. As I was walking out I told him he had hurt me and I was going to hospital.” 

Mr Havi, however, denies the claims and says no such thing happened. 

“No, I have not assaulted her. Is there any evidence of assault like a broken hand? A twisted leg? These are just rumours,” he told Nation.Africa.