Babu Owino secures bail for two June 25 memorial suspects arrested over State House post
Babu Owino appeared alongside lawyer John Maina to defend Suleiman Wanjau Bilali and former Harambee Star captain Robert Otiti Elwak, who were arraigned in court as the police sought custodial orders to detain them for 10 days.
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino on Friday made his debut appearance as a High Court advocate, representing two suspects accused of mobilising the June 25 protest anniversary.
MP Owino appeared alongside lawyer John Maina to defend Suleiman Wanjau Bilali and former Harambee Star captain Robert Otiti Elwak, who were arraigned in court as the police sought custodial orders to detain them for 10 days to conclude investigations.
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The suspects were arrested in Muthurwa and Kayole and are accused of publishing false and inciteful information on social media, allegedly intended to mobilise unlawful protests.
Police told Senior Principal Magistrate Dolphina Alego that the duo had published a sensational protest time on X (formerly Twitter), aimed at provoking public unrest.
The prosecution further claimed the suspects were part of a group that planned to infiltrate peaceful protests with violent goons, aiming to destabilise national security, assault protesters, and incite chaos around State House - a protected security installation.
According to the investigating officer, the suspects allegedly incited crowds to loot, disrupt peace, and cause unrest. The prosecution requested a 10-day extension to allow for forensic analysis of the suspects' phones, review of M-Pesa and bank records, and collection of witness statements.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) argued that the complexity of the case and the gravity of the allegations warranted the extended detention.
The two have, however, been released on a personal bond of Sh50,000 or a cash bail of Sh20,000 each by Milimani principal magistrate Dolphina Alego.
The case will be mentioned on July 8.
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