A Kajiado court on Thursday dismissed a treason case against human rights activist Bob Njagi after ruling that investigators failed to present sufficient evidence to sustain the charge.
Senior Principal Magistrate Edgar Kagoni found that the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) had not established a basis for prosecution and ordered Njagi’s release.
Njagi had been arrested on June 24, a day before the nationwide Gen Z demonstrations, over allegations linking him to the planned protests.
Following his arrest, the DCI obtained custodial orders allowing detectives to detain him at Isinya Police Station for seven days to facilitate investigations into an alleged treason offence.
When the matter came up for mention on Thursday after the expiry of the custodial period, the prosecution sought to continue detaining him to allow for more time for investigations.
However, the magistrate ruled that the evidence presented was insufficient to support the allegations and directed that Njagi be released immediately.
Njagi was represented by Senior Counsel James Orengo, Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo, and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino.
The ruling comes amid heightened public scrutiny of arrests made before and after the June 25 Gen Z demonstrations, with several suspects challenging the legality of their detention and prosecution in courts across the country.
By Rop Janet
