19 Arrested for Trespassing into President Ruto’s Land

19 people arrested for trespassing into President Ruto’s land in Naivasha have been arraigned at Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi.

The accused, one of whom is a woman, will stay the night at the Lang’ata police station as they await the court’s ruling.

The 19 were charged with damaging the KES 2.2 million worth of property on February 29, 2024, by tearing down the farm’s barbed fence.

Police officers investigating the case recommended that the suspects be detained for 14 days as the police launched investigations to gather facts surrounding the incident.

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“There has been a lot of public outrage with some members of the public trying to storm the police station at Naivasha Sub County to rescue the respondents and consequently remove them from safe custody and avert the due process of the law,” investigating officer John Kinyongie’s affidavit reads in part.

The respondents’ lawyer Mbugua Muriithi has accused the police of using land grabbers and politicians to punish innocent Kenyans, adding that the 19 arraigned were innocent of the charges.

Mbugua further challenged the court and the investigating officers to arraign the suspects in a Nakuru court, as per the jurisdiction, instead of opting for Milimani Law Courts.

“The 19 were arrested in Naivasha, I don’t see why they can’t be detained at Naivasha police station,” Mbugua argued.

“They have no relatives in Nairobi. Detaining them in Nairobi will essentially render them IDPs,” he added.

Nairobi Magistrate Gilbert Shikwe ordered the 19 to be held at the Lang’ata police station until Wednesday when he will issue orders moving forward.