Yassin Juma |
Arrest is
on going and the latest to be arrested was blogger and journalist Yassin Juma.
He spent his nights in police custody after his arrest on Saturday night from
his Donholm home. He was booked at the Muthaiga police cells for misusing a licensed
telecommunication gadget under section 29 of the Information and Communication
Act.
Robert Alai |
Blogger
Patrick Msafari popularly known as @moderncorps was arrested and detained in
custody overnight before being released on Friday. Msafari said he was ordered
to return to DCI headquarters Monday for further grilling. “They were asking me
why I criticise the government and if I knew where other wanted bloggers are.
We are under threat,” said Msafari. He added the officers also confiscated his
mobile phones and defaced his accounts, which he termed as illegal and
impunity.
Cyprian Nyakundi |
Political
blogger Cyprian Nyakundi spent two days in police custody before being freed on
intervention of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution. He said he
was being questioned on the whereabouts of other wanted bloggers and why he was
critical of government at large. “I told them it is my right to support a
certain political stand. I realised they don’t want us to talk ill of some
people even when they are wrong. They want us to be patriotic. But I wonder how
and why in this state,” he said.
Eddy Illah |
Eddy Reuben
Illah was arrested on January 19, 2016 and charged with publishing prohibited
material for sharing images of what he alleged were Kenyan soldiers killed in
an Al Shabaab attack, via a WhatsApp group. Illah has denied the charge and has
been remanded in custody pending the hearing of his case on February 9, 2016.
Seth
Okoth alias Dikembe Disembe is in hiding after he learnt he was wanted. He said
he had been informed the team of detectives is after him over his tweets. “They
have been asking those so far arrested on where I am. I don’t know what this
government wants,” he said.
Elijah
Kinyanjui, a Nakuru based journalist, was arrested by Nakuru DCI for misuse of
a licensed telecommunication gadget. A Kenya Broadcasting Corporation
journalist, Judith Akolo, was also summoned by police and questioned for hours
for retweeting a tweet questioning why an advert for police promotions was
released on the eve of the deadline.
The 10
bloggers and journalists have hired Siaya Senator James Orengo to defend before the
Directorate of Criminal Investigations on Wednesday.