MOMBASA, Kenya – It is a sigh of relief for all the 13 anti-abduction protesters who were arrested in Mombasa after the court set them free.
The 13, including Hussein Khalid, lawyer and CEO of VOCAL Africa, were released on a cash bail of Sh5,000 with one surety.
“We were charged with the crime of “unlawful assembly.” Now, we go home and strategise for the next move. Aluta continua,” Khalid posted on his official X account after being released.
Where were the 13 Mombasa activists detained?
Earlier, the 13 activists broke into liberation songs in the Mombasa courtroom while waiting to take a plea. They had been detained by the police overnight in Central Police Mombasa.
According to the charge sheet, they were accused of unlawful assembly when they participated in the demonstrations along Nkurumah Road in Mvita Sub-County.
Meanwhile, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) has submitted an application to a Nairobi court requesting a 30-day detention period for six suspects linked to a wide range of land fraud offences.
According to the ODPP, the move aims to give the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) sufficient time to probe the protesters’ conduct thoroughly.
What offences were the Nairobi activists charged with
The protesters who were arrested, including vocal Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah, are charged with violating Section 95(1)(b) of the Penal Code by inciting violence and disobeying the law, participating in an unlawful assembly in violation of Section 78(1) as read with Section 79 of the Penal Code, and causing disturbances that are likely to result in a breach of the peace.
According to the court, the demonstrators’ cell phones should be brought to Kenya’s Communications Authority to remove Facebook, WhatsApp, and X messages and images promoting public discontent with the government.
The DPP further claims that the DCI has not yet received the CCTV footage from the neighbouring stores in Java and Naivas to support its enquiries, gather witness accounts, and complete investigations.
The DPP says that if the respondents are freed, they might continue disrupting the nation’s peace.
Recently, Kenyans have been seeking answers after at least 82 people were kidnapped in the last three months, and 29 more are still missing.
