FOUR artists arrested in Kayole for fighting killings and enforced disappearances by police
By Missing Voices Reporter
Published December 22, 2022
FOUR artists have been arrested by police officers from Soweto police station for using music to speak against killings and enforced disappearances by police officers from the station.
Investigations by Missing Voices reveal the artists were arrested on December 14 and arraigned on December 16 after trumped-up charges were leveled against them.
The law requires that suspects are arraigned within 24 hours of arrest.
Bedan Kibiro alias Yesteh, Nethe Mungai alias Pepis, Christopher Muthui, and Brian Kuria alias Kuch were arrested after police officers from Soweto Police Station raided a residential plot on December 14 in Soweto.
A witness who sought anonymity for security reasons told Missing Voices that police officers broke into several houses and carried away seats from one of the houses.
The police also arrested the four artists and accused them of burglary. “It is officers who are well known to us and not the youths that broke into several houses that day and carried household items.” Said the witness.
Twenty-four hours after the arrests police had not only failed to produce the artist in court according to the law but had also not indicated in the Occurrence Book why the four were in custody.
Kayole police chief Paul Wambugu by press time did not comment on the matter. He did not respond to our text message seeking for his comments. He received our call and said he was in a meeting
According to Muthui’s mother, Mary Nyambura who went to see her son at the police station on the day he was arrested said police failed to provide her with an OB to show why the four were in custody.
“I do not understand why they were not booked on December 14. After I protested on December 15, police hurriedly made an entry in the OB indicating they were arrested for burglary.” She told Missing Voices.
Nyambura said on December 15, a woman came to the station and picked the seats that police had ferried to the station using a mkokoteni (a cart) and the woman did not complain against anyone for stealing her seats.
“She told me police were seen by members of the public breaking into several houses before calling a cart puller to take the seats to Soweto police station.” Nyambura said.
Interestingly, Nyambura’s son was released without any charges against him after interventions by Missing Voices. She has appealed to well-wishers to defend the trio who are unable to secure their release from prison.
In what looks like a clear coverup by police the son was issued with a compelling letter by Chief Inspector Gichohi, the in-charge at Soweto Police Station to appear before him on Wednesday, December 21 while his three friends, all artists were arraigned on December 16 for being in possession of cannabis sativa (bhang). The letter in possession of Missing Voices reads in part, “I Chief inspector Gichohi, an officer of police attached to Soweto police station I am making inquiries into an alleged offense of burglary/stealing and have reason(s) to believe you Christopher Muthui Nyambura are connected or have information that could assist with investigations.”
According to Nyambura, her son’s phone was confiscated by police immediately he reported at the station.”They accessed my phone without my consent and deleted some songs from my youtube channel.” Muthui said.
The four are said to be close friends of Kevin Mbugua alias Fadhora 24, whom a police officer from Soweto police station shot dead on September 15 under unclear circumstances. These artists are key witnesses against Mbugua’s killer. The Independent Police Oversight Authority is investigating Mbugua’s death.
In their online music, the artists have criticized extrajudicial killings by Kayole police officers.
The Soweto’s killer cop is allegedly afraid the musicians will expose him by running a campaign against him using music.
In September a police officer told Missing Voices in confidence that Mbugua was shot dead by a police officer on September 15 during an arrest.
His death got condemnation from senior police officers in Kayole and it was agreed that a digital OB will only be circulated to gazetted officers unlike in other cases where even junior officers access such signals and circulate them in their social media platforms.
Contacted by Missing Voices, the then Nairobi police boss James Mugera now retired, refused to comment on the incident. He did not pick our calls and did not reply to our text message seeking clarification on Mbugua’s killing.
