City lawyer, Lempaa Soyinka, was, on Wednesday, reportedly arrested by officers guarding the Times Tower, where the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) is based.
The advocate and former journalist was nabbed by the Anti-Terror Police Unit stationed at the area for taking a picture of the protected building.
A Twitter user by the name James Mo quickly sent the alert raising the heads of various activists and lobby groups such as Katiba Institute, which the nabbed lawyer is affiliated to.
"Advocate Lempaa Suyinka has been arrested at Times Tower for taking this photo and has been taken by the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU). The Law Society OF Kenya must come to his defence and ensure that we free lawyer Lempaa immediately. THIS IS HARASSMENT!!!!!" he angrily tweeted.
The alarm was picked quite quickly and numerous entities sprang to action resulting to his release from police custody. Soyinka's phone was, however, confiscated by the police for reasons yet to be known.
"Lawyer Lempaa Soyinka has been released but they have detained his phone. Many thanks to Alan Kimathi, Katiba Institute, Pawa254, Boniface Mwangi and other human rights defenders. The phone is held without a warrant, we are demanding for the release," an update post read a few hours later.
Soyinka is also a former editor at KBC and was once awarded Ksh2,052,764 million by the court. This was compensation for unfair termination of his employment and failing to raise his salary upon promotion in 2012.
Interior and Co-ordination CS, Fred Matiang'i, listed Times Tower as a restricted area in a gazette notice issued under Protected Areas Order earlier this month. This move effectively limited movements and taking of photos of the building by unauthorized citizens.
