The Law Society of Kenya has condemned the arrest and detention of Charles Gichuki Ndiang’ui also known as Chaos Kibe on Twitter.
In a letter addressed to the Director of Public Prosecution, LSK President Nelson Havi expressed concern over the secrecy surrounding the police move.
“The above named individual was seized yesterday by persons claiming to be police officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations and has been held incommunicado since then. His wife who the writer spoke to cannot trace him in any police station in Nairobi. We are reliably informed that he is being held at either Muthaiga or Capitol Hill police stations and that he is likely to to be arraigned in court this (Friday) morning on charges yet to be disclosed,” the letter reads.
According to the LSK, the police violated Gichuki’s right to communicate with an advocate and other persons whose assistance is necessary to him as an arrested person as guaranteed by Article 49 (1) (c) of the Constitution.
Havi also stated that there is fear that Gichuki may be denied representation as required by Article 50 (2) (g) and informed the DPP that the the LSK would be taking up the case with him as the lead counsel.
LSK further noted that the Inspector General of Police, National Police Service and the Judiciary have been notified of the Gichuki case by a copy of the letter.
Gichuki was later released from police custody a few hours after the LSK made the letter public.
“I am delighted Charles Gichuki has been released without charge. I am however, disappointed with the continued habit of police competing with criminals in abduction of Kenyans to settle political scores or suppress free speech in the guise of arrests,” Havi said on Twitter.
Kenyans took to Twitter under the hashtag #ReleaseChaosKibe with human rights organizations such as Amnesty Kenya terming the arrest as ‘abuse power’.
Amnesty Chaiperson Renee Ngamau said: “Those who abuse power depend on the silence of professionals. We need patriots of all professions to speak out and stop the rot.”
Reasons for Gichuki’s arrest remain unclear though a section of Kenyans claimed that it was linked to a website he created that linked powerful government officials to corruption.
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