At least 125 protesters arrested in Nairobi on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, during countrywide anti-government protests have been arraigned in court.
The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) has sent a legal team to represent the protestors.
In a statement shared on X, LSK president Faith Odhiambo disclosed that the protesters who were being held at Central police station have been arraigned at City Hall Court on Wednesday, July 17, 2024.
“The 125 protestors that were being held at Central Police Station have been arraigned at City Hall Court. Our legal team is on the ground to represent them,” Faith said.
Faith further stated that the LSK’s legal across the counties that reported protests have been working to ensure there is no unlawful detention of protesters.
“Our teams across all 23 counties that reported demonstrations have been working diligently to ensure no protestors are detained unlawfully,” she said.
She revealed that they have managed to secure the release of protesters arrested in various stations adding that LSK will continue to offer relevant legal intervention as they monitor the situation.
“We secured the release of protestors in Kitengela, Kahawa, and Mombasa and will continue to monitor the situation and offer relevant legal intervention. We urge members of the public to continue bringing information to our attention to enable expeditious action on our part,” she added.
The 125 protestors that were being held at Central Police Station have been arraigned at City Hall Court. Our legal team is on the ground to represent them. https://t.co/aihcR6sK0T pic.twitter.com/z9jk6B4ob0
— Faith Odhiambo (@FaithOdhiambo8) July 17, 2024
Charges
The LSK president said that the peaceful protesters have been charged with trumped-up charges of mugging.
She further demanded the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP) to desist from allowing false charges against the people of Kenya.
“This morning, we reported to Central Police Station by 8 am to follow up on the release. We were shocked to find that the peaceful protestors were booked with trumped-up charges of mugging. The police have offered no qualification of these allegations, and we, therefore, demand that the@ODPP_KE desist from allowing vexatious, false charges against the people of Kenya. Nevertheless, we will be in court for the arraignment of all those arrested and will defend them against these spurious claims,” she said.
Faith added that they held discussions yesterday with the Officer Commanding Station (OCS) over the release of the protestors, but he insisted on holding the protestors overnight to allegedly enable their booking before release in the morning.
“Following distress calls raised through the @LawSocietyofKe Toll-Free Line, we set camp at Central Police Station, Nairobi, until 9 pm yesternight, where several protestors had been held following arrests during the demonstrations. We held discussions with the OCS over the release of the protestors, but he insisted on holding the protestors overnight to allegedly enable their booking before release in the morning,” she said.
Following distress calls raised through the @LawSocietyofKe Toll Free Line, we set camp at Central Police Station, Nairobi, until 9pm yesternight, where several protestors had been held following arrest during the demonstrations. We held discussions with the OCS over the release…
— Faith Odhiambo (@FaithOdhiambo8) July 17, 2024