UNLAWFUL ASSEMBLY

MP Chonga, Kilifi speaker Mwambire detained pending bond ruling

They were arrested for participating in anti-government demonstrations in Mtwapa on Wednesday.

In Summary
  • The four were charged with participating in unlawful assembly.
  • They are accused of chanting anti-government slogans construed to be urging people to  breach the peace. 
Victor Katana, Kilifi Speaker Teddy Mwambire, Patrick Chiro and Kilifi South MP Ken Chonga after they were arraigned on Thursday afternoon.
Victor Katana, Kilifi Speaker Teddy Mwambire, Patrick Chiro and Kilifi South MP Ken Chonga after they were arraigned on Thursday afternoon.
Image: CHARLES MGHENYI

Kilifi y Assembly Speaker Teddy Mwambire and Kilifi South MP Ken Chonga are to spend a night at Shimo la Tewa Prison as they await a bond ruling on Friday.

The two were among  four individuals  arrested on Wednesday during the anti-government demonstration in Mtwapa in Kilifi South.

The other two individuals are Victor Katana, who is Chonga’s aide, and Patrick Chiro, who is a policy analyst  at the office of Kilifi Senator Stewart Madzayo.

On Thursday afternoon, the four were charged with participating in unlawful assembly, as demonstrations were banned.

According to the charge sheet, the individuals took part in a procession and chanted anti-government slogans thereby causing members of the public to reasonably fear that they were assembled to commit a breach of peace.

While appearing before the Mombasa chief magistrate Martha Mutuku, the four denied the charge.

They applied to be released on reasonable bond terms.

However, Mutuku ruled that the four should be remanded to Shimo la Tewa until Friday afternoon when she will rule on their bond application.

On Wednesday, the four spent a night at the Kilifi police station after they failed to be released on police bond.

They were later taken to Kilifi county Police Headquarters for questioning by DCI officers.

Kilifi Senator Stewart Madzayo, Kaloleni MP Paul Katana and his Malindi counterpart Amina Munyazi unsuccessfully tried to secure their release.

On Thursday morning, the accused persons were transferred to Mombasa where they were held at Port police station before their arraignment in the afternoon.

The Coast region remained laargely peaceful on the second day of the three-day street demonstrations that had been called by the opposition chief Raila Odinga to force the government to lower the cost of living.

On Wednesday, only Mombasa and Kilifi counties had witnessed pockets of street protests.

On Thursday, normalcy resumed in all the affected regions.

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