Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah, along with 22 other protesters arrested in Nairobi on Monday, has been granted bond and released. Initially set at Ksh. 50,000 with a matching surety, the bond was reduced to Ksh. 1,000 per individual by the court, offering a gesture of goodwill for the New Year.
The group was detained in Nairobi’s Central Business District during protests against the growing number of abductions and enforced disappearances targeting government critics. They were arraigned before Milimani Principal Magistrate Rose Ndombi on charges of inciting violence and civil disobedience.
During the hearing, the accused requested a reduction in the bond to Ksh. 5,000 each, citing financial constraints, especially during the New Year period. However, the prosecution argued that the suspects were a threat to national stability, claiming their use of social media could fuel unrest and disrupt public order if released.
The police had requested a 14-day detention to complete their investigation, but defense lawyers, including Kalonzo Musyoka and Martha Karua, opposed this, advocating for the immediate release of the suspects on a free bond.
The court ultimately reduced the cash bail to Ksh. 1,000 per person, and the Law Society of Kenya offered to cover the bail for all 23 protesters as a show of support. The court also ordered the suspects’ mobile phones to remain in police custody until the next case mention on January 21.
