Kenyan Activist and Associates Granted Bail in Incitement Case

A Kenyan court has granted bail to activist Boniface Mwangi and four associates, who were arrested for allegedly inciting violence and disrupting public order. The five were accused of blocking a road in Nairobi’s central business district, distributing incendiary materials, and posting provocative messages on social media.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) had sought to hold the five in custody for 21 days to complete investigations, but the court denied the request, citing a lack of compelling reasons. Instead, the court granted each of the five a Sh20,000 cash bail.

The DCI had accused the five of false publication, participating in an unlawful assembly, and creating a disturbance that could cause a breach of peace. The agency alleged that the five had blocked a road in Nairobi’s Koinange Street, distributing t-shirts and placards with incendiary messages, and posting similar messages on social media.

The Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) has condemned the arrest and called for the release of the activists. “Free Boniface Mwangi and Hussein Khali,” the KHRC said, vowing to sustain the clamour for the prosecution of police officers blamed for killing protestors.

Before his arrest, Mwangi had sent out an update informing his followers of an intended meeting point, where they would lay flowers at the scene of a crime and escort the families of victims. He also urged his followers to record videos calling ODM leader Raila Odinga a traitor if they saw him, in reference to the nomination of four senior ODM politicians to President William Ruto’s Cabinet.

The court has scheduled a mention on August 26 to review the case.