Eight Mawego Police Station arson suspects charged with terrorism

Eight key suspects linked to the July 3, 2025, arson attack on Mawego Police Station in Rachuonyo North sub-county, Homa Bay County, were on Tuesday arraigned at the Kahawa Law Courts.

The suspects; Kennedy Oluoch Oluoch, Nicholas Otieno, Tofiq Owiti Mohamed, Michael Omondi Opiyo, David Bill Clinton Otieno, Robert Ouko Abala, Samuel Ouma Odhiambo, and Erick Obunga Osumba, had been detained under custodial orders issued by the Oyugis Law Court.

They appeared before Kahawa Senior Principal Magistrate Richard Koech, where they faced three counts including terrorism charges contrary to the law.

“Count I: Commission of a terrorist act, contrary to Section 4(1) of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA). Count II: Arson, contrary to Section 332 of the Penal Code. Count III: Malicious damage to property, contrary to Section 339 of the Penal Code,” The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) noted in a statement.

During the hearing, all eight suspects pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The prosecution opposed the granting of bond, an application that was contested by the defence.

The trial magistrate scheduled the matter for mention and bond ruling on July 22, 2025, while the accused were remanded at the Kamiti Maximum Security Prison.

The eight were re-arrested on July 14, 2025, following closure of the miscellaneous application, and subsequently transferred to the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) headquarters in Nairobi, for arraignment under the Prevention of Terrorism Act No. 30 of 2012, along with additional offences under the Penal Code.

The suspects are said to have orchestrated the attack on July 3, 2025, which detectives say led to the destruction of property during protests over the death of blogger and teacher Albert Ojwang.

They were first arraigned before the Oyugis Law Courts, where the DCI said they were believed to be the “ringleaders behind the coordinated attack, carried out in collaboration with other accomplices who remain at large.”

On Thursday last week, tensions flared during the funeral procession of Ojwang’, who died in police custody at the Central Police Station in Nairobi after being transferred from Mawego Police Station.

Youths intercepted his body en route to Kokwanyo village, demanding that it be taken to the station where he was first detained.

Despite pleas from Ojwang’s father, the rowdy youths forcibly redirected the body to Mawego Police Station, where they overran barricades and set the post ablaze. At the time of the incident, police officers had already vacated the premises.

Homa Bay County Police Commander Lawrence Koilen condemned the violence and confirmed that the Officer Commanding Station’s office was among the facilities destroyed.