Emeritus Chief Justice David Maraga was on Monday, June 8, 2026, released on free bond hours after being arrested alongside eight other activists during protests opposing plans to excise part of Nairobi National Park.

His release was confirmed by Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Charles Kanjama on Monday night, June 8, 2026.

According to Kanjama, Maraga was released on a free bond alongside the activists who were arrested demanding answers over plans to excise part of the Nairobi National Park to create a car wash.

Maraga occupied a section of Lang’ata Road, near the Bomas of Kenya, with a team of protesters when plain-clothed officers rounded them up and apprehended him alongside other protesters.

“Following the arrest of Chief Justice Emeritus David Maraga and fellow environmental activists earlier today, I joined members of the LSK Council and other volunteers at Lang’ata Police Station to personally enforce our legal defense machinery,” Kanjama wrote on X.

“I am pleased to confirm that, through the efforts of the LSK legal team and our partners, the activists arrested alongside the CJ Emeritus @dkmaraga have since been released on free bond,” he confirmed.

Kanjama condemning the arrest

The LSK president had earlier condemned the arrest, describing it as a direct assault on civic space guaranteed under Article 37 of the Constitution, arguing that the actions of the police went beyond lawful enforcement and into the suppression of constitutional rights.

“The Law Society of Kenya strongly condemns the shocking arrest of Chief Justice Emeritus David Maraga and environmental activists protesting the irregular allocation of 76 acres of Nairobi National Park,” Kanjama said.

“Bundling a retired head of our Judiciary into a police vehicle for peacefully opposing a Sh42 billion project, reportedly pushed through without public participation, is a direct assault on the civic space guaranteed under Article 37 of the Constitution.”

Maraga’s statement after arrest

In a statement shared after arrest, Maraga said he had been detained together with fellow patriotic Kenyans while participating in a procession to present a petition to the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) against the proposed excision of part of the park.

He added that Kenya’s natural heritage must be protected from destruction and accused authorities of pushing ahead with the project without adequate public participation.