Kilifi Drama: Protesters Freed by Court, Re-Arrested by Police
In a dramatic turn of events in Kilifi, several protesters were re-arrested just minutes after being set free by the court.
The incident, which has sparked outrage and accusations of police misconduct, involved about ten protesters who had been charged with unlawful gatherings and other related offenses.
Among the arrested was Katherine Mwanase, a well-known activist in Kilifi. The protesters were presented before the Chief Magistrate Court on Wednesday, July 3.
After a lengthy court session, the magistrate ordered their release. Human rights lawyer Sofia Rajab shared photos of the jubilant released protesters, but the celebration was short-lived.
Rajab recounted the bizarre sequence of events, stating, “So we managed to get them released…then they got lured into another police trap and re-arrested!”
According to Rajab, the police lured the protesters back to the station under the pretense of collecting their confiscated belongings, only to re-arrest them once they arrived.
“So the police filed a miscellaneous application seeking to detain the suspects for 10 days to allow for investigations,” Rajab explained. “We anticipated this would happen. By the way, they added other protesters who were arrested the night before – we only knew 7 minutes before the hearing when we were served.”
Rajab and her team had successfully argued for the release of all the detained protesters, embarrassing the authorities in the process.
However, shortly after leaving the court, an Investigating Officer called the released individuals to collect their confiscated items. Despite the lawyers’ advice against going back to the police station, the protesters, trusting the police, complied.
“As soon as they entered the DCI office…handcuffs. They claim that the Court did NOT order their release,” Rajab noted. By then, the court staff had stayed behind to ensure the release order was properly typed, stamped, and signed, but the DCI officers had already vanished.
The re-arrested protesters were taken to Kilifi Police Station to spend the night in jail. Rajab vowed to continue fighting for their release, stating, “We live to fight another day. They will be charged tomorrow…for what? We shall find out in the morning.”
Backing up Rajab’s account, K-town Photography, a professional photographer based in Kilifi, confirmed the events. “Police calling themselves DCI officers in Kilifi were asked to release the arrested peaceful protesters in Kilifi yesterday by the law court of Kilifi. They asked them to go for their IDs and phones and have decided to re-arrest them WITHOUT cause!” he stated.
This incident comes amid a larger wave of anti-government protests. All 187 protesters apprehended during Tuesday’s demonstrations, including children, were released on bond.
The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) president Faith Odhiambo reported that those arrested had been presented before the Milimani Law Courts, where they faced various charges. The adults were each given a bond of Ksh.50,000, pending the provision of their family and relatives’ details.
The court also ordered the police to provide details of all arrested persons by 10 am on June 4 to address the practice of frustrating release processes even after court orders are issued.
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Kilifi Drama: Protesters Freed by Court, Re-Arrested by Police
