DPP arraigns protestors in court over chaos in city
The Office of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has arraigned 185 protestors in Court under a miscellaneous application seeking to detain them for 21 days to conclude investigations.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in an application said it was investigating a case of breaking into a building contrary to section 306 of the Penal Code, malicious damage to property and obstructing police officers in the execution of their duties.
According to the DCI, the arrested protestors on July 2 between 0900 hours and 2000hours at Nairobi Central Business District (CBD) mounted demonstrations agitating for the rejection of the Finance Bill 2024/2025 and in the process they turned chaotic thereby breaking into several business premises within the city center.
Further, the DCI allege that the protestors assaulted a police officer namely APC Philip Avutanga Asaya of Rapid Deployment Unit who sustained a bullet shot and that the bullet was fired by one of the protestors.
The DCI also informed the court that the protestors barricaded roads using wooden coffins and stealing from unsuspecting members of Public.
The court heard that the 185 protestors were arrested at the scene of crime and 14 coffins recovered and in the process, one police motor vehicle registration number GKA 689V Nissan Xtrail was extensively damaged.
The DCI informed Court that investigations into the offences are ongoing and that the firearm used to attack police officers was yet to be recovered. DCI alleged that the arrested protestors are a flight risk as their places of abode remains unknown.
