A court in Eldoret town has allowed police officers to detain nine Moi University students accused of sharing hate leaflets on WhatsApp.
This is to allow the officers to conclude investigations into the matter.
Court documents show that the nine were arrested on Monday, August 1, 2022, within Moi University’s main campus in Kesses.
They were presented before the court on Tuesday, August 2, 2022, facing charges of incitement.
The leaflets, the court was told, were asking members of a certain community within Kesses and Cheplaskei areas, in Kesses Constituency, to move out should they fail to support Deputy President William Ruto’s presidential bid.
But as they were presented to take a plea, Investigating Officer Sophia Ibrahim filed a request to be allowed to detain the nine university students for three more days to allow them complete investigations.
Lawyers representing the nine opposed the application.
However, the court allowed the police to detain them for the three days requested.
Eldoret Principal Magistrate Onkoba Mogire who handled the matter directed the police to hold the suspects at the Langas Police Station.
Security ahead of the general election
The nine were presented in court hours after Interior and National Coordination Dr Fred Matiang’i said at least 8 suspects had been arrested in relation to the hate leaflets in some parts of the Rift Valley region.
“We have 8 suspects who we suspected of sharing the leaflets and they should be taken to court, none of those people is employees of the president,” Matiang’i told Journalists in Nakuru.
When he addressed thousands of his supporters in Eldoret town on Monday, August 1, 2022, a day after reports of the leaflets’ citing emerged, Deputy President William Ruto linked them to operatives within the Office of the President.
“I want to tell my friend Mr President, the same way you told off DCI George Kinoti when he started that nonsense of post-election violence, please tell off the characters at the office of the President who are now printing pamphlets to cause disharmony in the country. They need to stop because they are bound not to succeed,” DP Ruto said.
Earlier in the day, a section of elders of different communities living in Uasin Gishu had denied the existence of the said leaflets.
“..those reports of leaflets in this county, none of us has seen them. We are also hearing about them in the media,” said the Kaburwo Council of Elders chairman in Uasin Gishu John Yego.
