Thika: Mums Weep, Threaten To Strip as 58 Youths Arrested over Saba Saba Demos Get Harsh Bail Terms
- Cries of despair filled the Thika courthouse as dozens of mothers wept, unable to meet a bail amount they called impossible
- Inside the cells, 58 detained youth slammed iron bars, begging for release after a Saba Saba protest turned into a legal nightmare
- The court imposed a bail that many families said might as well be a million shillings, sparking threats of stripping in protest
- Prosecutors filed serious charges tied to a supermarket raid and damaged police vehicles, but relatives claimed the arrests were baseless
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Didacus Malowa, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.
Wails of anguish echoed outside the Thika Law Courts as dozens of mothers broke down in frustration, unable to raise the staggering bail set for their children.
Source: UGC
The youths, visibly desperate to secure their release from police custody, were arrested during the recent Saba Saba protests.
Inside the courthouse cells, the 58 youth pounded the metal bars and shouted for freedom, a freedom that now seemed painfully out of reach.
In its ruling on Wednesday, July 16, the court stated that each suspect was to pay a cash bail of KSh 100,000 or post a bond of KSh 300,000.
Drawn from humble backgrounds, for many of the families gathered outside, that amount might as well have been a million.
Mothers, overcome with emotion, wept openly and threatened to strip outside the courthouse in protest.
Some climbed into police vehicles, saying they would rather accompany their children to remand than leave them alone in custody.
The pain of separation was raw amid the overwhelming financial pressure, following the tough bail terms.
Emmah Wambui, one of the parents, recalled her visit to the police station, where she confronted an officer
"When I went to the police station, I asked her as a mother, ‘Did you and the child steal from the supermarket?’ She told me, ‘No, tell the DCI to give you the CCTV showing them dragging me to Maathai Supermarket while I was being beaten," she lamented.
Wambui lashed out at senior government officials for dismissing the economic struggle many Kenyans face.
"Completely humiliate the poor, but we once had people like Mobutu Sese Seko… Murkomen, you’re speaking very badly when you say KSh 50,000 is little, but know that these are the very people who elected you," she added.
Another parent, Jennifer Atieno, shared her confusion and heartbreak, insisting that her child was a case of mistaken identity.
"He had gone to the shop and told me, “Mum, let me buy you some milk then go to my place”… then he was arrested, and he told me, “Mum, I’ve been arrested”… when I went, I found she had been placed in a robbery group," she explained.
What are charges against youth Thika Law Courts?
According to the charge sheet, they were arrested following the anti-government Saba Saba demonstrations and are now being charged with robbery with violence, a capital offence under Kenyan law.
Prosecutors allege they targeted John Okeyo Otieno, the manager of Mathai Supermarket in Juja, during the chaos of the protests, stealing goods worth more than KSh 8.7 million.
But families and community members say the charges are exaggerated and poorly substantiated.
Source: Getty Images
Some believe the arrests were sweeping and indiscriminate, as Kiritu Chege, a brother to one of the accused, voiced his frustration.
"No one here has the money to raise KSh 100,000, and these are charges for which they don’t even have a single piece of evidence to show that anyone did that thing," he cried out.
In addition to the robbery accusation, several of the suspects are also facing charges for allegedly damaging two police vehicles and injuring three officers based at Juja Police Station.
The officers, alongside the supermarket manager, formally lodged complaints.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
