Eric Omondi Walks Free After Dramatic Arrest in Nairobi

Comedian Eric Omondi and seven co-accused have been released by a Nairobi court after denying charges of allegedly obstructing traffic along Moi Avenue on 7 September.

Omondi was arrested on Monday by plain-clothes officers outside the Kenya National Archives while leading a signature collection drive for his “Punguza Mzigo” initiative. The campaign seeks to reduce Kenya’s 47 counties to eight regional units and has collected nearly 500,000 signatures from drives in Mombasa, Meru and Kakamega.

Footage of Omondi being handcuffed and placed in a police vehicle was widely circulated following his arrest. Omondi appeared in court alongside Cyprian Ateka, Alex Ngungu, John Ndungu, Kelvin Mwasi, Josiah Ogutu, Wilson Ouma and Olive Odhiambo. They all denied the charge that they unlawfully obstructed the movement of vehicles along Moi Avenue.

Milimani Magistrate Caroline Nyaguthii allowed the accused to be released on bond. She said the court was not required at this stage to determine the merits of the case, but only whether the accused were likely to attend future proceedings.

The magistrate noted that Omondi had consistently appeared before the Milimani courts and therefore released him on a free bond. The other seven accused were each required to execute a personal bond of Sh2,000.

The prosecution agreed to the release of the accused, indicating that it had no concerns about them absconding or interfering with witnesses. Defence lawyer Willis Otieno argued that the arrests amounted to victimisation of citizens exercising their constitutional rights. The court, however, maintained that the prosecution's position on release indicated there were no concerns over flight risk or witness interference.