Kenyan Lawyer Arrested For Swearing in Raila Odinga

Published

5 years ago

February 2, 2018

A Kenyan lawyer who attended the symbolic “swearing in” of opposition leader Raila Odinga, has been arrested.

The National Super Alliance coalition wrote on its Twitter handle that Miguna Miguna was taken from his Nairobi home on Friday to a police station.

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Miguna, an Odinga ally, had declared himself a leader of the opposition’s National Resistance Movement, which the government declared a criminal group on Wednesday.

He had stood beside Odinga on Tuesday at the symbolic presidential inauguration, which the government has called an “illegal act” that put the lives of thousands of Kenyans at risk.

Police spokesman Charles Owino did not answer his phone when called for comment on the arrest.

It follows the arrest on Wednesday of an opposition lawmaker who administered Odinga’s “oath”.

He was freed on bond on Thursday.

The government took three private television channels off the air on Tuesday as they began to cover of the opposition ceremony.

They remained off the air on Friday at 0730 GMT in spite of a court order on Thursday that overturned the government-ordered shutdown.

The government was not served with the court order on Thursday afternoon because of a delay at the court registrar’s office, Okiya Omtatah, an activist who filed the High Court case and won the lifting of the suspension, told Reuters.

“As soon as we serve the order this morning I expect the stations to be back on,” he said. “If not they’ll (the government) be in contempt of court.”

“It’s an abuse of power,” Omtatah said, of the government’s shutdown of the channels. “The laws are clear. That’s why the court ruled as they did.”

Odinga is of the opinion that the 2017 elections, won by President Uhuru Kenyatta, were rigged.