DCI SEEKS 21-DAY DETENTION FOR ACTIVIST BONIFACE MWANGI AND FOUR OTHERS TO ALLOW INVESTIGATION
The DCI now wants the court to enable it to detain activist Boniface Mwangi and four others for 21 days to complete investigations over alleged involvement in the month-long protests led by youths. According to Inspector George Karanja, an officer at the headquarters of the DCI, “We are investigating charges of false publication, creating disturbances, and participating in unlawful assemblies.”
Others include Robert Otieno, Albert Wambungu, Pablo Chacha, and Erot Franco. The team posted, according to the DCI, false information in social media, terming that the government was killing citizens. Inspector Karanja expounded, “These allegations were interpreted as claims for extrajudicial killings. Such claims can provoke the public, leading to a breach of peace.”
They were arrested on Thursday along Koinange Street in Nairobi’s Central Business District. At the time of the arrest, they had caused a heavy disruption with a white coffin and seven white crosses, each named, placed on the road. This incident happened on July 25, and it was sanitised by Karanja that it had inconvenienced motorists and pedestrians. “The display of these items caused a lot of commotion,” Karanja said.
Inspector Karanja said in his affidavit filed in court that the investigation is still on to establish the motive behind the protest display.
“We need to know why they carried these items and the message they intended to pass.”. Their mobile phones, which were with the activists at the time of their arrest, were taken and forwarded to the Cybercrime Unit at the DCI headquarters for forensic analysis. “Forensic analysis of these gadgets will give us details of their communications and further clarify their involvement,” added Karanja.
The move by the DCI seeking an extended detention period underlines the severity of the investigation into the activities of the activists and getting to the very bottom of their actions and their impact.
“The aim is to complete a comprehensive investigation into their activities and ensure that justice is served,” Karanja emphasized. The detention request ensures that every bit of the case is considered as investigation proceeds. The case is likely to influence future interactions between activists and the police
