Activist Boniface Mwangi was Sunday traced to a police station hours after he was picked up by police from his Machakos home.
He was traced to Kamkunji police station in Nairobi where he had been detained.
This was almost 50 kilometres from where he had been picked up by six men.
His family and friends had been worried about his whereabouts for hours before they found him at the police station.
His wife Njeri Mwangi who traced the activist to the station said police had accused him of inciting the public to cause violence.
“They are holding him over claims of incitement to violence. It is all about this marathon,” said Njeri.
Activist Hussein Khaleed was also among those who went to see him at the station.
“I can confirm that @bonifacemwangi is being held at Kamukunji Police Station in Nairobi, booked under the charge of incitement to violence. Family, lawyers, friends and colleagues are at the station following up,” he said.
It is not clear if he would be taken to court but his family and lawyers were making efforts to release him.
This came ahead of his planned protests at the Standard Chartered Marathon, which took place on Sunday, October 27.
The marathon went on uninterrupted amid heavy security. Security was enhanced at the event with major roads blocked for those participating.
Police said they feared his followers would have infiltrated the event and cause violence.
There was no immediate comment from police on the move to pick up and detain Mwangi.
Officials said the detention was the work of state agencies as a precautionary to forestall the planned protests.
Mwangi had called for protests at the marathon which raised concerns among the state security agencies and organizers.
There were fears the protests would ruin the image of the marathon and attract attention.
Mwangi had been mobilizing his followers to join the protest at the marathon as one way of expressing discontent about the country’s leadership.
This also prompted government-affiliated social media users to launch an attack on him online.
They branded him a traitor online ahead of the marathon.
Undeterred, Mwangi continued to mobilize for the protests.