Trouble follows Mugithi singer Samidoh as he now faces arrest
National
By
Pkemoi Ng'enoh
| Jun 11, 2025
Police officer Samuel Muchoki Ndirangu, popularly known by his stage name Samidoh, now faces arrest over what has been described as desertion of duty.
The new development comes barely two weeks after the National Police Service transferred the Mugithi star from Gilgil in Nakuru County to cattle rustling-prone Baringo County.
In a letter by Commandant Anti-Stock Theft unit dated June 9, 2025, it is reported that Muchoki has been away from his workplace for more than 10 days after being granted off days and was supposed to report back on May 27, 2025.
“Since then, he has not been seen and his whereabouts are not known; efforts to trace him have been futile. He has now absented himself without leave for a period of more than ten days,” the desertion letter reads in part.
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Muchoki was declared a deserter, and an order given to stop his salary. The letter also instructs that his immediate boss visit his home in Nyandarua and, if traced, be arrested.
However, National Police Service spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga played down the mater, saying purporting the letter was unofficial. “The letter is unofficial. Currently, we cannot rule out things like AI that are used to generate such documents,” said Muchiri
In what was seen as a response over the latest development Muchoki yesterday posted on his social media pages a phrase by Abraham Linchon about freedom. “Those who deny freedom to others deserve it Not to themselves,” his post reads in part while posing next to a portrait of George Floyd’s, in Minneapolis, US.
Floyd was an African-American man who was murdered by a white police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 25, 2020.
But the controversy deepened after another letter from the office of Inspector General emerged showing that the singer was cleared to travel to the US for a private visit on May 20, 2025 and was to return on Monday.
The move to transfer Muchoki and now a directive to arrest him has been widely viewed as a bold disciplinary slap, sparked by the explosive viral spread of his “Wantam” performance.
Just days after footage of Samidoh’s performance at an entertainment venue circulated widely on social media, the National Police Service issued his redeployment orders.
In the viral clip, the crowd is seen chanting “wantam,” a slang spin of “one term,” a phrase adopted by critics of President William Ruto as a rallying cry ahead of the 2027 elections.
Prior to this, Samidoh served in Nairobi under the Kenya Police Service before being moved to the Administration Police where he was later being transferred to the Anti-Stock Theft Unit in Gilgil a while ago, unlike earlier reports.
While no official reason for the transfer was provided, the reassignment to Baringo is seen as a deliberate move to a challenging post, signaling disciplinary action.
After the ‘Wantam’ razzmatazz Muchoki and other musicians from Central Kenya were invited to meet Deputy President Kithure Kindiki at his Karen residence leading to another backlash from his followers.
At some point, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachua asked the fans to unfollow musicians who trooped to Kindiki’s residence citing that it was betrayal but the former DP was equally condemned.
While in the US, Samidoh shared a photo while donning a T-shirt branded ‘Cousins’ another term that has been linked to the opposition leaders, specifically former DP Gachagua who coined the term.
This was during his visit to the Eastern region when he referred to the locals as cousins in an attempt to unite the region and Mt Kenya ahead of 2027 general elections.
Under the National Police Service Act, if a police officer deserts the service, they commit an offense and can face severe consequences, including summary dismissal, imprisonment, or fines.
Precisely, a deserter can be dismissed from the service, imprisoned for up to two years.