Former Mungiki leader Maina Njenga has been set free by a Nairobi court.
Njenga secured his freedom on Tuesday, July 25, after paying a cash bail of Ksh100,000 in line with a magistrate's ruling at the Makadara Law Courts. He was also given an option to post a Ksh200,000 bond.
The release came after five days behind police watch, four of which he was reported missing by his family members and his attorneys.
Speaking to the press outside the court, Njenga, who serves as a bishop, noted that he was arrested, blindfolded and taken to an unknown location.
"I was arrested and taken to an unknown location while blindfolded. We did not know where we were going or what was done to us.
"We urge the government and the opposition to hold a discussion and solve this matter. The cost of living is affecting the Kenyan people," he stated.
While appearing in court on Monday, July 24, Njenga was charged with the possession of weapons.
According to the prosecution, the weapons included 14 machetes, 24 Maasai swords, 46 rungus, and three plows which were allegedly recovered at his home.
According to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), the state believed that the weapons were going to be used to disrupt public order.
Njenga had been arrested along with two accomplices namely; Peter Njoroge Kamunya and Felix Ratu Lakishe.
“John Maina Njenga, Peter Njoroge Kamunya, Felix Ratu Lakishe: On the 20th day of July 2023 at Kiserian area within Kajiado County jointly organized an unlawful assembly and procession scheduled to take place within Nairobi City County and other parts within the Republic of Kenya,” the prosecution stated in court filings.
In a ruling, a Nairobi magistrate declined to release Njenga on Monday noting that his life might have been in danger.
News of his arrest first surfaced on Thursday, July 20, after his attorneys claimed that he was picked up by 50 police officers at his Kiserian home.
His lawyer Ndegwa Njiru, at the time, noted that the ex- Mungiki leader, an outlawed group was apprehended by police who did not disclose the reasons or the charges he was facing. He went missing for four days.
The police reportedly raided his house at around 8 p.m.
