DCI Headquarters
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Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah, along with several other protestors, is scheduled for arraignment at the Milimani Court in Nairobi following his arrest during demonstrations on Monday.
The protests were organized in response to the alarming rise in abductions and enforced disappearances targeting government critics, with over 10 cases reported in December alone and exceeding 80 cases this year, as reported by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights. In a show of solidarity, DAP Kenya party leader Eugene Wamalwa and Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka visited Omtatah at the court on Tuesday.
Wamalwa shared a video on social media that depicted the three leaders raising two fingers in a V-sign. He expressed support for Omtatah, stating, "With my brothers Okiya Omtatah and Kalonzo Musyoka at Milimani Court where he is being held with other protestors before arraignment."
Omtatah, known for his activism, was part of a group that chained themselves together in a symbolic act of resistance along Aga Khan Walk in Nairobi's central business district. The demonstrators, which included activists and concerned citizens, sought to call attention to the issue of abductions, urging the government for immediate action regarding the missing individuals, including activists Billy Mwangi, Peter Muteti Njeru, and Bernard Kavuli.
On the same day he was arrested, Omtatah had filed a lawsuit at the High Court demanding that the Inspector General of Police, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, and the National Intelligence Service produce evidence regarding the individuals allegedly abducted by police. Following the filing, he joined the protest, where he emphasized the government's use of intimidation against its citizens.
"The government is abducting its people in an attempt to intimidate them. For them to pretend that they do not know what is happening is unacceptable," Omtatah stated.
In other developments, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has sought the Chief Magistrate’s approval at the Milimani Law Courts to seize mobile phones belonging to Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah and others detained during recent protests. In a petition filed by the Office of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), the DCI argues that the examination of these devices is essential for their investigations into allegations of incitement to violence and disobedience of the law related to demonstrations on December 30.
The prosecution emphasizes the need to extract messages and photographs from social media platforms, asserting that these materials could illuminate the organizers' activities. The protests were fueled by activist calls for the government to investigate the disappearances of several Kenyans earlier in December, including Steve Mbisi and Rony Kiplang’at.
In addition to mobile phone retrieval, the DCI has requested a further 14-day detention for Omtatah and the 22 other arrested individuals to facilitate the collection of critical evidence, including CCTV footage from local establishments and witness statements. The agency stresses concerns that releasing the accused could exacerbate public unrest, stating that their ongoing incitement on social media poses a threat to national peace and stability.