The troubles facing Deputy President William Ruto are growing by the day after seven bloggers affiliated to his campaign were on Monday arrested and taken to Capitol Hill Police Station.
The names of the seven bloggers were not immediately clear but they were picked up at the Milimani Police Station during the mention of a case where Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria was arraigned to face assault charges.
Police are set to arraign the seven on Tuesday where they will face charges of inciting citizens to disrupt public order.
After Kuria’s case was adjourned, prominent members of the Tanga Tanga squad led by the bloggers’ lawyer,Kandara MP Alice Wahome camped at Capitol Hill Police Station for nearly three hours.
Their efforts to secure a police bond were futile with Kericho Senator Aaron Cheruyoit claiming police officers at the station had told him that they had received orders from above to hold the young men until tomorrow.
Apart from Wahome and Cheruyoit, Moses Kuria, Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa, and Nyandarua Women Rep Faith Gitau kept vigil at the Upper Hill-based police station
“The charges they are facing, incitement or threatening public order, those are very simple charges that they should get even a free bond. These are young boys who should not suffer for following a certain person. This is what I was referring to when I said we are going back to the dark days,” Wahome complained during a press briefing.
At the time of publishing this report, the MPs had been warned to vacate the police station even as they insisted they would remain there until the bloggers were released.
The Tanga Tanga camp has been facing troubles with the police whom they accuse of unfairly targeting them.
Last Friday, a team of MPs and bloggers from the camp were teargassed at the Kilimani Police Station where they had gone to demand the release of Moses Kuria.
