Drama unfolded at the Pangani Police station after a group of activists stormed the police station, demanding the release of Rose Njeri, a tech developer apprehended on Friday.
Njeri was apprehended after creating a website that would facilitate public participation on the Finance Bill 2025.
The activists, led by notable figures such as Boniface Mwangi, Hussein Khalid, and Hanifa Adan, among others, were seen protesting outside the police station's gate.
The activists were heard singing in unison songs to condemn the apprehension of Njeri. "President William Ruto should know that liberation is coming in Kenya. We want Njeri," the activists were heard singing.
According to Hanifa, in a statement on her official X account, the police had closed the gate to deny them entry into the police station. "They have closed the gates at the Pangani Police station," she said. This was corroborated by videos and images shared online.
The protests come hours after activist Boniface Mwangi, in a tweet on Sunday, June 1, claimed that activists will flock to the police station where Rose is currently being held to protest her apprehension and call for her release.
In another tweet on Saturday, May 31, Mwangi, who castigated Njeri's apprehension, said that the police should either free her on bond or "they shut down the police station".
"Either the police give her the bond to which she is entitled, or we shut down the station. Her rights have been violated, and it’s our responsibility to stand up for her and demand her immediate release. It is our constitutional right to protest and demand that her rights be respected," Mwangi stated.
On the other hand, Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah, who visited Rose just minutes before the protests, asserted that Rose "doesn't mind" being unlawfully apprehended. Omtatah said that Njeri not only projects courage but also the spirit of a challenger who seeks no sympathy.
Okiya, in a statement on his official X account on Sunday, June 1, spotlighted that the apprehension of Rose, who is currently being detained at the Pangani Police station, was not only unlawful but also contravened her constitutional rights.
"I went to Pangani Police Station to visit and stand with Rose Njeri, who is being unlawfully detained for the noncrime of creating a website to promote the constitutional imperative of public participation by allowing citizens to comment on the Finance Bill 2025," Omtatah said.
Omtatah, who is a vocal critic of President William Ruto's administration, noted that Kenyans, led by the government, must be at the vanguard of upholding and protecting the constitution.
"After attending the 7.00 am Mass at the Holy Family Minor Basilica in Nairobi, I chose to honour Madaraka Day not through celebration but by standing for constitutional truth," he said.
Njeri, who is a software engineer, was apprehended following a tweet that she posted on May 19 announcing the creation of the website.
"I wrote a simple program that lets you reject the Finance Bill 2025 with just one click. Click below to send your objection," her tweet stated.
