Four Kenyan filmmakers linked to the ‘Blood Parliament’ documentary by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) were granted an anticipatory bail of Ksh10,000 in the latest development surrounding the four.
The bail was issued by the Milimani Law Court on Wednesday, May 7, which also directed Nicholas Wambugu, Chris Wamae, Markdenver Karubiu, and Brian Adagala to appear before the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on Wednesday, May 21.
Revealing the news, Ian Mutiso, their lawyer, disclosed that the courts had barred the DCI from further arrest or harassment of the four filmmakers who have attracted significant attention in the past few days.
Further, a case pitting the four filmmakers against the authorities is set for mention on Wednesday, May 28. “The court has rendered that our client should not be subjected to any form of harassment or arrest. We have summons for 21st May 2025 at DCI HQ and a mention for 28th May 2025,” Mutiso stated.
A search warrant that later surfaced online revealed that police were looking for evidence connecting the four with the BBC documentary and had planned to charge them under the Cybercrimes Act.
This is despite a statement released by the British broadcaster that disclosed that the four were not involved in the shooting of the documentary.
The latest comes just a day after the DCI had summoned the four filmmakers to their headquarters under unclear circumstances. The four adhered to the summons but were not given the reason for their summons.
The summons came after the four had been arrested on Friday, May 2, under unclear circumstances following a raid at their Karen studios. They then went on to spend the night at the Muthaiga and Pangani Police Stations.
News of their arrest was revealed by their business partners, and this was further corroborated by their lawyer, Mutiso, who disclosed their whereabouts in the two police stations.
In the midst of their arrest, police confiscated their equipment and hard drives. Reports that emerged indicate that the four were not charged, and their presence under police custody remained unclear.
In the aftermath of their arrests, a multitude of netizens, including politicians expressed their displeasure and frustration at the nabbings, with many believing their involvement in the damning exposé was the sole reason behind their detainment.
They were later released the following day on a free bond after furious netizens spearheaded calls for their unconditional release after their detainment.
The documentary exposed the roles of the National Police Service and the Kenya Defence Forces in some of the killings witnessed during the Gen Z-led protests of June 25, 2024.
In some of the clips shown, two members of the NPS and KDF could be seen shooting at protestors, leading to their demise.
