Livestream, hashtags... How social media diluted Morara Kebaso's arrest

Kebaso was apprehended on Monday at his Kahawa Sukari offices under unclear circumstances by officers claiming to be following "orders from above."

He was bundled into a Subaru Forester and then taken to the Regional Police Headquarters in Nairobi before being transferred to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters in Kiambu.

In an unprecedented event, which seemingly thwarted the discreetness of the officers, the entire drama was being streamed live by people believed to be Kebaso's supporters.

By night, a #FreeMoraraKebaso hashtag had already started gaining prominence on X and TikTok as the Subaru being driven at neck-breaking speeds was being chased by the streaming team.

Minutes later Kebaso was taken into DCI offices and a number of citizens had already thronged outside the premise as several streams had gone live.

In one of the TikTok live streams which had garnered over 8,000 viewers and counting, Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah was speaking outside DCI headquarters in Kiambu vowing that they will not leave the premise until Kebaso is confirmed to be safe.

"He is being illegally held and that is just another abduction. There is no reason why Morara cannot be taken to a police station and booked into an OB," said Omtatah.

"Because of what has been happening in this country we have declared that today we are not going to sleep, we will keep vigil outside the DCI until we are informed where this man is."

Subsequent comments on various streams and X censured the government over the rampant abductions witnessed in the country from the onset of the anti-government protests, vowing not to allow Kebaso's case to be swept under the rug.

NARC-Kenya leader Martha Karua appeared for Kebaso's hearing on Tuesday as his lead counsel, alongside a team of more than 10 advocates.

He was charged with cyber harassment under Section 27 of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act No. 5 of 2018 and released on a cash bail of Ksh.50,000.

The accusation was linked to a post he made on his X account on September 28, which was termed as false information and intended to taint David Langat's reputation.

In the post, Kebaso wrote: "William Ruto approached DL Langat and told him he desperately needs more money for campaign. DL Langat used his properties as security and took big loans to help his friend. Right now DL Langat is being auctioned by banks and the person who is buying the properties is William Ruto. To make it worse William Ruto has used his power to undervalue the properties to buy them at a cheaper price. That is the kind of person we are dealing with. He has no friend."

As all this ensued, Morara's supporters and irate members of the public camped outside the court buildings and the livestreams were still active.

Shortly after his release Kebaso told his supporters to march to the CBD and the crowd marched singing jubilant songs and anti-government chants.

Some of the followers even accompanied the activist to his offices inKahawa Sukari where Kebaso narrated his 24 hour ordeal with his abductors, all this concurrently being shared on social media.

"Asanteni sana. I have learnt a lesson of love and passion. Kenya will change. I believe it," said Kebaso on X.