Four men arrested during the Saba Saba protests have been released on a cash bail of KSh2,000 each after appearing before a Nairobi court on charges of obstructing traffic during the demonstrations.
The accused, Mulinge Muteti, Dickson Muli, James Bota Sunda and another man facing a similar charge, denied allegations that they unlawfully blocked roads during the July 7 protests.
The prosecution alleges that Muteti and Muli, together with others not before the court, barricaded Harambee Avenue using stones, obstructing the free flow of traffic. Bota is accused of committing a similar offence along Wabera Street.
During the plea, the defence led by lawyer Babu Owino challenged the legality of the arrests, arguing that police officers who arrested the accused violated existing High Court directives governing the policing of demonstrations. The defence told the court that the officers were not properly identified as required by the court orders and therefore acted contrary to the law.
In his ruling, Magistrate Paul Mutai held that allegations of violations of constitutional rights and disobedience of High Court orders should be pursued before the High Court or through contempt proceedings against the officers involved. The magistrate further ruled that the dispute over whether the accused persons or the police were responsible for obstructing the roads can only be determined after hearing evidence during the trial. Since the prosecution did not oppose their release and presented no compelling reasons to keep them in custody, the court released all four accused on a bond of KSh10,000 each or an alternative cash bail of KSh2,000.
The case will be mentioned on July 22, 2026, for pre-trial directions.
