There was a tense standoff at the Oyugis Law Courts in Rachuonyo South, Homa Bay County, as a crowd attempted to block the re-arrest of seven suspects linked to the July 3 arson attack on Mawego Police Station.
The suspects—initially charged with malicious damage and arson—were dramatically re-apprehended and transferred to Nairobi under tight security.
Police officers on Tuesday had to use force to disperse the crowd and clear the court compound to allow their vehicles to exit.
The initial incident involved a violent mob, allegedly including students from Mawego National Polytechnic, that stormed and torched the police station.
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The seven suspects, Kennedy Oluoch, Nicholas Otieno, Tofiq Owiti Mohamed, Michael Omondi Opiyo, David Bill Clinton Otieno, Robert Ouko Abala and Samuel Ouma Odhiambo, were first arrested and arraigned in court on July 7.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) successfully applied to detain them for seven days to continue investigations. They were held at Kendu Bay Police Station.
According to the DCI, the seven were key orchestrators of the attack.
Rachuonyo North Police Commander Stephen Tanui said the initial charges included arson, malicious damage to property and theft of personal items belonging to police officers.
However, those charges were withdrawn on Monday.
In a swift turn of events, the investigation file was closed, and the suspects were re-arrested and transferred to Nairobi, where authorities now plan to charge them with terrorism.
The move sparked outrage among members of the public present at the court who attempted to prevent the re-arrest. However, their efforts were thwarted by police.
“We will see how this case progresses. An eighth suspect has now been arrested and added to the group,” said Mr Tanui.
Last week, Homa Bay County Commissioner Moses Lilan condemned the attack, describing it as a direct threat to national security.
“Burning a police station is an attack on the state. If someone can assault law enforcement, they are capable of anything,” he said.
Detectives are continuing investigations with more arrests expected. Authorities have vowed to pursue all those involved, both directly and indirectly, in the attack.
The Mawego incident is the latest in a wave of violent demonstrations that have swept parts of the country in recent weeks, during which several police stations and government offices have been vandalised or set ablaze.
