Three days before President William Ruto arrived in Isiolo town on February 7, 2025, as he concluded his week-long tour of northern Kenya, police had mounted a crackdown on drug dealers and other criminals.
On February 6, Mr Sadam Buke was seized by men in civilian clothes at Acacia Royal Hotel on the outskirts of Isiolo town, in what appeared to be an abduction.
Police spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga, in a statement released on Friday, the same day President Ruto was supposed to address a gathering in Isiolo, clarified that it was not an abduction, saying the suspect was being questioned by the police.
“Attention of the National Police Service has been drawn to information circulating on social media that one Sadam Buke from Isiolo county has been abducted. We wish to clarify that Sadam Buke is in lawful custody alongside others,” Mr Nyaga said.
The police said Mr Buke, an employee of Meiso Sacco, which plies the Meru-Isiolo-Marsabit route, was held alongside others and was suspected to be key facilitators and coordinators of Ethiopia’s Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) activities in both Isiolo and Marsabit.
Security agencies also claimed that the suspects were linked to drug trafficking in Isiolo and Marsabit counties. Mr Buke is yet to be produced in court.
What police didn’t know was that they were poisoning ground for President Ruto’s embarrassing moment in which agitated youths heckled him as he addressed the public at Prison Farm grounds within Isiolo town.
Multiple interviews with authorities and leaders in Isiolo confirmed that the arrest of Mr Buke and several other suspects may have contributed to the President’s heckling.
County Commissioner Geoffrey Omoding said Mr Buke, also wanted for drug peddling, was well known by the youth in Isiolo.
“We suspect that having been a supplier of drugs mainly bhang from Ethiopia, he had interacted with the youth and was involved in some philanthropic activities targeting them in a bid to win their trust. His arrest may have infuriated them which led to their hostility,” Mr Omoding told Nation.Africa in an interview.
Mr Said Jillo, a human rights activist, also said the crackdown was ill-timed.
“We support the government in their efforts to stamp out drug menace which has reached alarming levels in Isiolo but why did they start arresting suspects days before the President’s arrival? It should be a continuous exercise and not meant to hoodwink the President that something is being done,” Mr Jillo said.
According to Mr Omoding, the mobilisation of youths by leaders who wanted to outshine one another may also have been the cause of the heckling. He said the leaders “worked up” the crowds for the job ahead.
The administrator specifically accused two senior politicians in the county, whom he said mobilised hundreds of youths who engaged each other in shouting.
“What happened was a popularity contest between the two leaders’ groups with each of them eager to demonstrate their might to the President,” Mr Omoding said.
Another administrator who declined to be named since he is not authorised to speak to the media cheekily commented that “having imbibed alcohol and bhang, the hecklers forgot their script.”
“Instead of chanting ‘Dullo must go’ (in an apparent reference to Senator Fatma Dullo) they said ‘Ruto must go’. This is the dangerous path through which drug traffickers are taking our youth and they must be dealt with by all means,” he said.
What followed after the chants saw an agitated President Ruto shout back at the hecklers, telling them off and vowing to deal with drug dealers whom he accused of having been involved in the plan to boo him.
“I am aware the drug dealers have sent the youth to come and make noise in this meeting. Be warned young people, you can’t threaten the government. A foreigner cannot come and turn Isiolo into a drug den. It won’t happen,” President Ruto said.
He warned that his administration would not condone drug peddlers and dealers who were targeting the youthful population. For years, Marsabit and Isiolo have been transit routes for bhang trafficking from neighbouring Ethiopia.
That night and the following day, police arrested 50 people in a crackdown that drew condemnation from the youth and local leaders who said the arrests were illegal.
They were arraigned before Isiolo Senior Resident Magistrate Maureen Odhiambo on Monday, February 10, with 49 of them released unconditionally and warned against engaging in acts of lawlessness.
Mr Suaib Abdan, who was charged with obstructing the Presidential motorcade, an offence allegedly committed on February 7, 2025, was released on a cash bail of Sh5,000.
The youth in Isiolo have since condemned the arrests, saying it was intimidation and harassment by the State.
Ms Khadija Abdi, whose cousin was arrested alongside his wife, said they had welcomed the President peacefully and wondered why heckling by a few youths had led to the suffering of innocent people and their families.
“The president also told us that we are drunkards, comments that we did not take lightly. We want him to come back and apologise to the youth of Isiolo,” said Ms Abdi.
Concerning the distribution of drugs to the youths, Mr Omoding said investigations were ongoing to establish who supplied them.
“Police are interrogating the suspects and should any of the leaders be implicated as having supplied the drugs, we will deal with the individual. We will not spare anyone supplying drugs to the youth no matter his position,” he said.
Senator Fatma Dullo denied claims that she mobilised the youth to heckle anyone, saying as a leader, she had called on Isiolo residents to turn out in large numbers and welcome the President.
“My mobilisation was targeted at all Isiolo residents and not only the youth. What the authorities should be investigating is who exactly supplied the drugs. Police have this information on people who were seen giving out bhang and alcohol to youths and they should arrest the culprits,” Ms Dullo told Nation.Africa by phone.
Governor Abdi Guyo did not respond to our efforts to contact him, with calls on his mobile phone going unanswered. The governor did not also respond to text messages.
A section of elders in Isiolo, led by Ameru Council of Elders’ Chairman Geoffrey Kinyua Nabea and his Gabra Council of Elders’ counterpart Omar Godana, also blamed Isiolo North MP Mohamed Tubi for the chaos.
But Mr Tubi denied the accusation, saying he did not have any interests in Isiolo South politics.
“As the MP for Isiolo South, I made sure my functions went well where the President addressed residents of Garbatula with no incidents reported. Those accusing me are doing so in bad faith,” Mr Tubi said in a phone interview.
Leaders also believe that President Ruto skipped his visit to Marsabit town after intelligence reports indicated that a similar scenario awaited him.
For a long time, public meetings in Marsabit town have been marred by shouting matches and supremacy battles pitting local leaders.
According to sources within the security agencies, the postponement may also have been associated with the recently launched Ondoa Jangili Operation by the National Police Service to flush out militias and terrorists from the border of Isiolo and Marsabit counties.
The operation is said to have stirred the wrath of the Promo Liberation Army and Alshabab sympathizers in the regions.
