DCI revealed that it exonerated Basweti after he honoured the summons by the investigative agency for all listed persons to visit the nearest DCI offices to assist in further investigations.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has apologised to Dennis Basweti after his photo was erroneously included in the list of suspects wanted in connection with violence during the anti-Finance Bill protests.
In a statement on Wednesday night, July 3, DCI revealed that it exonerated Basweti after he honoured the summons by the investigative agency for all listed persons to visit the nearest DCI offices to assist in further investigations.
Basweti had surrendered himself to DCI offices and recorded a statement indicating that his circulated photos as having occupied Parliament during the protests period had been taken earlier on June 10, 2024, when he had visited upon the invitation of his MP for South Mugirango, Silvanus Osoro.
Officers stand guard outside the DCI headquarters along Kiambu Road. /NATIONAL POLICE SERVICE
“The DCI has since confirmed that Mr Dennis Basweti’s narrative is true, and has reached out to him with an apology, further commending him for believing in the DCI’s pledge to conduct investigations thoroughly and fairly,” stated the DCI in part.
Hours after DCI released images of the wanted suspects, the National Assembly Majority Whip took to his Facebook page to reveal that Basweti had paid him a visit in Parliament where he was taken on a round tour of the Chambers as he took selfies and videos with excitement.
“He posted them on his Facebook page on the 10th of June 2024. During the protests, the excited netizens downloaded the said photos/videos with hashtags ‘tumefika bunge’.
“The police might have thought it was a recent video taken during protests. He has since appeared before the DCI and of course, he will be cleared,” the lawmaker explained.
Osoro nonetheless appealed to the rest of the wanted suspects who might be in a similar situation to honour the summons by the DCI to explain their situation.
DCI’s clarification shows the importance of accuracy in terms of dealing with social media reports, with misinformation increasing in the wake of the protests.
This stresses the need for authorities among others to verify the information before sharing it as a lot of it has been misinterpreted by netizens during the peak of the anti-Finance Bill protests.
At the time of DCI’s apology, other suspects were yet to surrender themselves to the nearest police station.
Furthermore, Kenyans with information regarding their whereabouts were asked to report the information anonymously through the hotline number 0800722203 or call 999, 911 or 112.
