On August 22, Chief Justice David Maraga held a meeting with more than 150 judges for the annual judges' colloquium at Sarova Whitesands Beach Resort in Mtwapa, Mombasa.
Minutes after his arrival at the conference, protestors stormed the meeting demanding an audience with the Judiciary head over claims that some corrupt judges were being shielded from prosecution.
The commotion attracted the CJ's attention who addressed the rowdy crowd. Details have now emerged that a newspaper vendor was instrumental in the disruption of the meeting.
A report by the Daily Nation on Monday, September 9, revealed that the vendor, Joseph Waragha was approached by a grassroots mobiliser, Mercy Wangui the evening before the meeting to organise the protest.
A streetwise Waragha went out looking for 60 women to be part of the protest promising them Ksh500 each.
The publication further revealed that the vendor, in turn, reached out to one Mama Wangari to help him mobilise market women for what was described as a flash protest.
The duo sought to provide transport for the protesters to and from the venue to ensure they accomplished their mission and that is when they approached, a Mr Kaviha, a local boda-boda association chairman.
Kaviha reached out to 60 riders promising them Ksh500 each for the job and Ksh30,000 for their group leaders, the Daily Nation reported.
On the day of the protest, the women and other protestors chanted and carried placards reading "Weka Warsame, Toa Maraga na Wakora. Wamama na Amadi, Wakora kwa Mwilu.(Give us Warsame. Eject Maraga and other crooks. Women stand with Amadi, crooks with Mwilu."
The protestors were dispersed by police as the alleged mastermind and financier of the protest watched from afar. Afterwards, disagreements related to the promised payments arose.
“The money was not enough as the boda bodas exceeded the planned number. I was left to shoulder the blame,” Kaviha was quoted by the publication.
