Nineteen individuals, including one woman, who were arrested for trespassing on President William Ruto’s farm in Naivasha, appeared at the Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi on Tuesday, March 5, 2024 to face charges of trespass.
The accused, facing charges of damaging property valued at Ksh2.2 million by destroying the farm’s barbed fence on February 29, 2024, will spend the night at the Lang’ata police station awaiting the court’s decision.
The police, recommending a 14-day detention for further investigations, cited public outrage and attempts to disrupt due legal process as reasons for their stance, as mentioned in investigating officer John Kinyongie’s affidavit.
Responding to the accusations, the defendants’ lawyer, Mbugua Muriithi, criticized the police for allegedly colluding with land grabbers and politicians to unfairly target innocent citizens. He challenged the court’s jurisdiction, advocating for the arraignment of the suspects in a Nakuru court instead of Milimani Law Courts.
Muriithi argued against detaining the accused in Nairobi, highlighting their lack of relatives in the city and the potential displacement it would cause.
In response, Nairobi Magistrate Gilbert Shikwe ordered the 19 to remain in custody at the Lang’ata police station until Wednesday, when further instructions would be issued.
