After 3 years of regular mandatory visits to court for participating in a peaceful anti-corruption demonstration on the 13th February 2014, the Kenyan High Court has finally quashed the charges against our partners from Bunge La Mwananchi on 28th June 2017. The initial charge, ‘rioting after a proclamation’, is an outdated charge from the British colonial era which contradicts the Kenyan 2010 Constitution.
The charge carries a sentence of life imprisonment, if found guilty. The four accused, which include our partners Wilfred Olal and Gacheke Gachihi, had filed a constitutional petition in the high court, questioning the legality of the arrest, the charges against them and the height of the bail (200,000 KES/approximately €1,700) and bond (500,000 KES/approximately €4,000) imposed by the court.
The high court ruling has declared that the arrest was a “gross violation” of the constitution and a “flagrant abuse of power”. Additionally, the high court has granted the petitioners damages of 250,000 KES (approximately €2,000) each. PBI has accompanied the accused to court on several occasions and is hence very glad to share this positive outcome.