102 Kitengela Gen Z anniversary protest suspects freed on Ksh.2K cash bail

The Kajiado Law Courts on Friday released 102 suspects on a cash bail of Ksh.2,000 each after they were charged with participating in protests and blocking the Namanga Highway in Kitengela.

The suspects pleaded not guilty to all charges and their case will be mentioned on July 22, 2026, when the hearing is set to begin.

Senior Principal Magistrate Susan Mwangi granted the bail after allowing an application by the defence. She directed all the accused to appear in court on the scheduled date, warning that anyone who fails to attend will be arrested.

One of the accused, Stephen Wambua, pleaded guilty and was fined Ksh.2,000 or, in default, serve three months in prison.

Two other suspects, Emmanuel Onyancha and Julius Mugambi, were released unconditionally after the prosecution failed to produce them in court. Another 10 suspects were also set free after their names were omitted from the charge sheet.

Among those charged were six minors aged between 16 and 17, who were arrested during the Kitengela Gen Z anniversary protests. The plea-taking process was delayed until 5pm before the court finally delivered its ruling.

Defence lawyers Levi Munyeri and Eric Ngunjiri withdrew an earlier application challenging the legality of the charge sheet to allow the accused to take plea and secure bail.

Relatives of the accused welcomed the court's decision but maintained that many of those arrested were innocent.

They claimed some were apprehended while going about their daily activities, while others, including minors, were allegedly picked up from their homes.

In a separate case, the same court on Thursday granted detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) seven more days to detain activist Bob Njagi as investigations continue into allegations that he incited youth to participate in the protests.