The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has arrested a 17-year-old boy identified as Ibrahim Haidar Yusuf, one of the suspects wanted in connection with the recent desecration of Kenya’s national flag.

According to the DCI, Yusuf is among two individuals who were captured on camera insulting and disrespecting the national flag during a football match between Mogadishu City Club and Police FC at Nyayo Stadium on September 20, 2025. The incident, which quickly drew widespread condemnation from the public, was described as an act that not only contravenes the law but also undermines the values and pride of the nation.

The arrest comes under the provisions of Section 2B of the National Flag, Emblems and Names Act, Cap 99, which stipulates that any person who shows disrespect, whether in speech, writing, or action, toward the National Anthem, the national flag, or any specified national emblem is guilty of an offence.

On Wednesday, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen ordered the arrest, prosecution, and deportation of the culprits, as Somalia’s Ambassador to Kenya, Jabril Ibrahim Abdulle, also denounced the acts.

“Hatutakubali mtu yeyote, iwe Mkenya ama mgeni, kucheza na uhuru wetu and our symbols of national unity, including our national flag. So, bwana IG, take the necessary legal action. Let the law take its course. “As a Ministry of Interior, we must show the world that we take our national flag seriously,” said Murkomen.

Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja said: “I have already directed the DCI, ya kwamba huyo mtu anakanyaga bendera yetu ya Kenya…bendera ile ilipiganiwa hapa mpaka tukapata uhuru wetu…hiyo anatuchezea na hatuwezi kubali kamwe,” “The DCI is under direct instructions from the IG that he must move with speed with efficiency to ensure that that man is arrested and taken before a court of law. Bendera yetu lazima iheshimiwe”

Meanwhile, the DCI has assured Kenyans that efforts to trace and apprehend the second suspect, who is believed to still be in the country, are ongoing.

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Authorities have urged members of the public, especially the youth, to treat the national symbols of Kenya with the utmost respect, emphasizing that patriotism and national unity are built on reverence for such emblems.

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