NAKURU, Kenya — Police in Nakuru County are facing public criticism after the arrest of 33-year-old social media personality May Jerono and allegations that officers subjected her mother to harassment at her workplace.
Jerono was arrested on Saturday in connection with a post she shared on Facebook.
Jerono was picked up by plain-clothes officers without a clear explanation, taken into custody, and transported approximately 200 kilometres to Kitale Police Station from Nakuru.
She was later released in the early hours of Sunday morning and confirmed her safety in a video shared on social media.
Arrested for social media postPolice arrest May Jerono over a social media post Jerono’s home ransacked by police without explanationJerono’s mother harassed, arrested at school Ruto: They picked me from school without explanation #CitizenWeekend
Allegations of Harassment at School
The controversy intensified after officers went to Athinai Primary School in Nakuru in search of Jerono.
Her mother, Census Ruto, a primary school teacher, says that officers stormed her classroom while she was teaching, forced her to leave in front of pupils and colleagues, and made her sit on the floor, actions she described as humiliating.
The mother was then taken to Kaptembwo Police Station in Nakuru.
“They forced me to sit on the floor in front of my colleagues,” she told journalists.
She said she was not given a clear reason for the officers’ actions, adding that they confiscated her phone and searched her daughter’s home.
Family accounts suggest the incident caused significant emotional distress and raised questions about police procedures and respect for citizens’ rights.
The arrest of a mother in order to coerce her daughter to show up at the police station is totally unacceptable and criminal @DCI_Kenya @NPSOfficial_KE @IG_NPS @HakiKNCHR @IPOA_KE @ODPP_KE#FreeMayJerono
Response and Reactions
Jerono’s lawyer has called the arrest ‘unprocedural,’ arguing that the Facebook post in question did not amount to a criminal offence and that the approach taken by officers appeared intended to intimidate.
The case has drawn condemnation from political leaders, including Martha Karua, leader of the People’s Liberation Party, who described the targeting of a relative in order to compel a suspect to surrender as “totally unacceptable and criminal.”
The family is calling for an investigation into the conduct of the officers involved, as the incident sparks broader debate in Kenya about policing, freedom of expression, and limits on enforcement action linked to online content.
Jerono’s case is set to resume in court in Kitale on March 2, 2026.
