Chinese nationals in a caning video that went viral can breathe a sigh of relief after the court suspended Interior CS Fred Matiang'i's decision to have them deported.
Citizen TV was first to report on Wednesday, February 19, that the court reached the decision following an application by the Chinese nationals.
The order had been issued by CS Matiang'i on February 13, 2020, after a video emerged of one of the Chinese nationals caning a Kenyan worker at a Kileleshwa hotel.
According to the reports, the court also told the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP) to file responses by Friday, February 21.
This was after the state lawyer told the court that they were served with the application late and therefore needed more time to file responses.
Matiang'i had given the deportation orders moments after the courts ruled that the Chinese be detained for 15 days pending investigations to establish the authenticity of the claims made by Simon Osako, who alleged that he was the one being caned.
The reason for the decision to deport the Chinese was because they did not possess work permits while others did not have valid documents that would allow them to stay in the country.
The four Chinese nationals who were identified as Deng Hailan, Chang Yueping, Ou Qiang and Yu Ling, were arrested a day after a video surfaced showing one of the nationals allegedly caning Osako.
The video portrays a Kenyan man leaning against the wall while the Chinese national whipped him with a stick as other individuals laughed in the background.
Made public by K24 TV on Saturday, February 8, it drew widespread condemnation from a section of Kenyans who termed the incident as rogue, and demanded immediate action from the authorities.
It also drew condemnation from the Chinese Embassy which indicated that it would support the government in every effort to bring the suspect to book.
Below is the video that drew widespread anger
