The case of a woman ordered detained in police custody for a week without charge or bail simply because she made negative remarks online about a governor’s brother is disgraceful.
It brings to mind the case of the blogger who re-tweeted another governor’s daughter’s photograph of the girl on a pub-crawl binge and was arrested and made to spend at least one night in a police cell.
Martha Wanjiru is accused of misusing a communication device because she said on her Facebook page that Nyeri Governor Nderitu Gachagua’s brother Rigathi Gachagua had misused county resources in his absence.
The complainant in the case is away abroad.
Police cell conditions in Kenya are deplorable enough, with suspects made to sit and lie down on concrete floors and use some of the dirtiest toilets to be found even in slum environments. Suspects are held in the same cells as hardcore criminals (including violent carjackers, rapists and killers) and feral street people.
Being held for more than a day ought to be reserved only for terror suspects.
Being held for any length of time in Kenyan police stations is a punitive experience and the cops know it. Many people do not hesitate to bribe crooked cops to avoid being booked and detained under these distressing and traumatic conditions.
Detentions in police cells that connive at intimidation and, or bribery are crimes.