MP Babu Owino, Raila bodyguard Maurice Ogeta in court seeking immediate release

Embakasi East Member of Parliament Babu Owino and eight others have filed a case in court seeking the police to be ordered to release them immediately and unconditionally.

The others are opposition chief Raila Odinga’s spokesman Dennis Onyango, bodyguard Maurice Ogeta, Kilifi South MP Ken Chonga, Kilifi County Speaker Teddy Mwambire, MCAs Wilfred Odallo and Redson Ochongo, as well as two Budget Officers at the Nairobi County Assembly namely Erick Otieno and Anthony Otsula.

The nine have alleged that they were on July 19, 2023 arrested at various places within Nairobi County and whisked to various destinations that are unknown to their family members, friends and acquaintances within the ranks of the official opposition of the government in Kenya.

They argue that they are adamant members of the opposition Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition party and strong supporters of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader Raila Amollo Odinga.

It is their argument that their rights, which include the right to peacefully demonstrate, freedom of movement, and to associate freely with others exercising their political rights, will continue to be violated if the police continue detaining them.

They want the court to order that they be produced before court.

Through lawyer Danstan Omari, they also say that before their unconstitutional, illegal and surreptitious abduction and forceful detention, they had intentions of participating in the three-day countrywide demonstrations.

"…the Respondents continue to unlawfully detain the Applicants without the authority of the courts and knowledge of their whereabouts being known to their loved ones and as such this Court is enjoined by the law to order their release or immediate presentation before court if at all any offence cognizable in law has been committed by the Applicants," reads court papers.