Those swept up in mass arrests of demonstrators in July faced punitive bail terms and draconian charges under terrorism laws
K
evin Njoroge*, a worker on a flower farm in the Kenyan lakeside town of Naivasha, was making his way back home from his shift last month when he was surrounded by police officers, arrested and thrown in prison.
He usually got the bus home, but because of protests taking place that day across the country, including in Navaisha, 55 miles (90km) east of Nairobi, he had to walk. The demonstrations were to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the Saba Saba (7/7) protests that took place in 1990 and which ended Daniel arap Moi’s autocratic 24-year reign.
“When I got close to my neighbourhood in Kihoto estate, some police officers found me and arrested me along with others. They were picking anybody they saw off the streets and arresting them,” he says.
