Foreigner Arrested After Flying Drone over Deputy President William Ruto's Official Residence

Police in Nairobi arrested a 37-year-old British national for allegedly flying a drone over the Deputy President’s official residence in Karen, Nairobi.

The foreigner named Hind Jeremy was taken in after Deputy President William Ruto’s wife Rachel Ruto alerted police after spotting the drone hovering over the compound.

Confirming the incident, Nairobi Police Commander Augustine Nthumbi said the drone strayed into the deputy president’s residence at 3 pm on Monday.

The flying device was quickly confiscated by a joint team comprising officers from the Anti-Terror Police (ATPU), Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), and National Intelligence Service (NIS).

“The incident happened on Monday evening at about 3 pm. It strayed into the compound in Hardy. She [Rachel] called the police and responded very fast and confiscated the drone.,” Nthumbi said.

Upon interrogation, Jeremy told detectives that the drone belonged to his visitors, who wanted to take photos of his home.

“He says the gadget was brought to his house by visitors who wanted to take pictures of his new home there as a present to him. Nothing more so far,” Nthumbi added.

Jeremy has lived in the house for more than three years and is aware that Ruto is his neighbor but the owners of the drone did not know that it is illegal to fly over the deputy president’s residence—a protected area.

Nthumbi dismissed concerns that the deputy president is not safe, stating that there is no cause for panic at all and all is well.