Rose Njeri, a 35-year-old woman who was arrested for creating software on the Finance Bill 2025, has expressed that she will not back down.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, June 5, Njeri wondered why the police were after her, yet she was just creating a software that was aimed at helping Kenyans find ease in sharing their views on the bill.
She stated that the arrest was meant to intimidate her, adding that she was illegally detained by the police, given that the charge sheet was only being prepared when she was presented in court.
"That is when they were preparing their charge sheet. This means that for all those days that I was at the station, they had no charges against me. That was an illegal detention," she said.
"You could see the errors that they made on the charge sheet. They wrote that I was male, and there were typos. They know that they have nothing on me. They are just infringing on my rights. I am just an ordinary Kenyan, trying to hustle, and they came for me that way. I cannot back down."
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On the other hand, she explained that she got the idea of creating the software after observing that Kenyans on social media were seeking avenues to share their opinions on the bill.
The arrest of Njeri caused an uproar among Kenyans, even as lawyers, including former Chief Justice David Maraga, went to court to defend her.
Njeri was accused of contravening section 16 of the Computer Misuse and Cyber Crime Act by interfering with computer systems.
"Rose Njeri Tunguru: On the 19th day of May,2025, at 2001 hrs at an unknown location within the Republic of Kenya, hosted knowingly made https://civicemail.netlify.app/ that automatically generated you and sent a mass program emails at to [email protected] which is the official systems of the finance committee, thereby interfering with the normal functioning of the systems," read the charge sheet in part.
She was released on a cash bail of Ksh100,000. Njeri is expected back in court on June 20.
"Our team of advocates attended court for the arraignment of Njeri. Upon inspecting the charge sheet, our team noted that the same was fatally defective and incompetent to form a basis for plea taking. The matter was raised before the Magistrate, who will deliver a ruling on the validity of the charge sheet on 20th June 2025.
"In the meantime, Rose has been released on a personal bond of Ksh100,000 with one surety. We will be present on the assigned date to represent her and ensure her liberties are defended," LSK president Faith Odhiambo noted in her statement.
