Journalist Collins Kweyu released after night in custody
Collins Kweyu had been arrested earlier today and detained at the Station in Nairobi for following up on a graft story involving a Migori-based judge.
Standard journalist Collins Kweyu has on Saturday morning been freed from Central Police Station, where he spent the night following his arrest over a story he was pursuing.
Kweyu was detained on Friday after following up on allegations of graft involving a Migori-based judge. He was investigating claims that the magistrate had received a bribe to influence a ruling in a land dispute.
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Officers at the police station initially refused to grant him bail, stating that the arrest order originated from detectives in Migori, investigating an alleged cybercrime involving Kweyu and two others.
This was despite a prior order for his immediate release.
Kweyu was freed on a free bond and ordered to report to the Migori County Criminal Investigation offices next week, where the complaint originated.
"I'll be heading there on Wednesday next week, but they are still holding my phone. I will now be cowed by this experience; the work I do must continue," he said.
His father, Peter Kweyu, expressed shock at the news of his son's arrest.
"Kweyu has been in this profession since the 1990s and has been doing this work very diligently, honestly, serving this country. It is shocking to hear that such things are happening to him. It's very sad to see what is happening in our country currently. People are just being picked, not even for anything that they have done wrong," he said.
The Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ) and the Crime Journalists Association of Kenya (CJAK) also condemned the arrest, calling it part of the ongoing harassment of journalists.
"We wish to state clearly: using state machinery to silence a journalist investigating possible corruption within the judiciary is an attack not only on press freedom but on the very rule of law itself. Arresting him on a Friday evening to ensure prolonged detention until Monday only deepens the suspicion of bad faith," CJAK said in a statement signed by its Secretary General, Brian Obuya.
CJAK described the use of state machinery to silence a journalist investigating judicial corruption as an attack on press freedom and the rule of law.
The Association further criticised attempts to access Kweyu’s phone and computer, viewing it as an effort to identify his confidential sources.
"While we respect the right of every citizen to seek redress through lawful channels, we are deeply concerned by the manner and timing of Kweyu's arrest, and the court orders issued to search his house and computer equipment. We see this as an attempt by the police to establish Kweyu's source," CJAK added.
Amnesty International also called for Kweyu’s safety while in custody and urged that his rights as a detainee be respected.
Kweyu said he was deceived into attending a meeting at a Nairobi restaurant before being confronted and arrested without being told the charges against him.
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