Two diehard Raila Odinga loyalists, Calvin Gaucho and Nuru Okanga will be taking a plea for participating in last Monday’s protests as Azimio la Umoja demonstrate for the second week tomorrow morning.
The two who are well known mobilizers for the opposition coalition were arrested on Friday night and taken to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters where they were questioned.
Gaucho was then taken to Limuru police station while Nuru was taken to Karuri police station. According to their lawyer Danstan Omari, no specific charges have been preferred against them so far. He however said that they were being held for allegedely participating in Azimio’s Monday protests.
“They have been told to record a statement concerning allegations that they participated in an illegal protest.”
Omari further said that that attempts to have the two mobilisers released on cash bail were futile as the officers claimed they had “orders from above” to hold them in custody.
“We have tried to negotiate and request for cash bail but the officers told us that they are following orders from above which say they cannot be released,” he stated.
“On Monday, they are set to be arraigned and charged in Kahawa Law Courts, inside Kamiti Prison where the other ODM leaders were arraigned on Monday and released on Sh50,000 each.”
Lawyer Omari opined that the arrest of the two opposition stalwarts is a plot by the government to derail the planned Azimio demos next week.
“I think all this is happening because of the planned Azimio protests on Monday. They are trying to arrest some of the leaders so as to cripple the demonstrations but we as lawyers will be in court to defend them,” he stated.
“I have even been told that currently there is another person who has been arrested in his home but I am yet to find out his name.”
