Advertisement
Eric Omondi arrested in Nairobi CBD while collecting signatures to reduce counties to 8
07th September, 2026 09:36 AM
Kenyan comedian and activist Eric Omondi has been arrested in Nairobi’s Central Business District while collecting signatures for his campaign to reduce the number of counties from 47 to eight.
In a video shared online on Monday, September 7, 2026, Eric Omondi is seen to have been arrested and had cuffs put on his hands.
Omondi was in the CBD, where he had been collecting signatures in support of his Punguza Mzigo campaign. Earlier in the morning, he shared a video showing him at the Archives as he called on Kenyans to support the initiative.
The comedian said the campaign would continue at the Archives until Friday as he seeks to reach his target of one million signatures. “We are going to reduce the counties from 47 to eight. It will happen. We will be at the Archives CBD until Friday,” Omondi said.
Omondi arrested during signature drive
The arrest came as Omondi continued with the signature collection exercise in the busy city centre.
The latest development adds to a long list of encounters with police for the comedian, who has increasingly combined entertainment with activism and public campaigns.
Omondi has previously been arrested during demonstrations and other public actions, including protests over the cost of living and unemployment. His current campaign, however, is focused on changing Kenya’s governance structure through a constitutional referendum.
Why Omondi wants eight counties
The proposal seeks to reorganise Kenya’s 47 counties into eight larger regional units based on the former provincial boundaries.
Omondi argues that reducing the number of counties would lower the cost of running government and reduce what he considers unnecessary positions in the country’s political structure.
The campaign is also calling for the abolition of positions including senators, Women Representatives and nominated parliamentary seats. Omondi said his campaign had already collected more than 430,000 signatures and needed hundreds of thousands more to reach its target.
He has argued that the money saved from reducing the number of leaders and administrative structures could instead be channelled into public services, particularly education.
Campaign targets one million signatures
The signature drive is seeking one million supporters before the proposal can proceed through the constitutional process.
Omondi has maintained that the initiative is aimed at changing what he considers an expensive governance system and creating room for more resources to be directed towards ordinary Kenyans.
The proposed reduction of counties has already attracted public debate, with questions being raised about the future of devolution and representation if the plan were to move forward.
For Omondi, the latest signature drive is another attempt to build public support for the changes he believes could reduce the cost of government.
As the campaign continues, attention will now turn to how the reported arrest affects the signature collection exercise and whether the initiative will reach the one-million-signature target.
