Eight individuals accused of orchestrating the arson attack on Mawego Police Station were on Tuesday, July 15, arraigned at the Kahawa Law Courts, facing terrorism and criminal charges.
The suspects, Kennedy Oluoch Oluoch, Nicholas Otieno, Tofiq Owiti Mohamed, Michael Omondi Opiyo, David Bill Clinton Otieno, Robert Ouko Abala, Samuel Ouma Odhiambo, and Erick Obunga Osumba, had earlier been detained under custodial orders issued by the Oyugis Law Court.
In a statement, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said they were rearrested and transferred to the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) headquarters in Nairobi for arraignment.
"They were re-arrested on July 14, 2025, following closure of the miscellaneous application, and subsequently transferred to the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) headquarters in Nairobi, for arraignment under the Prevention of Terrorism Act No. 30 of 2012, along with additional offences under the Penal Code," the statement read.
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In court, the suspects faced three counts: commission of a terrorist act, arson, and malicious damage to property.
"All the suspects pleaded not guilty to the charges. The prosecution opposed the granting of bond, an application that was contested by the defence," the statement added.
The presiding magistrate, Richard Koech, directed that the matter be mentioned again on Tuesday, July 22, when the court will issue a ruling on the bond application.
Until then, the accused have been remanded at the Kamiti Maximum Security Prison.
Mawego Police Station in Homa Bay County was set ablaze on Thursday, July 3, by angry protesters who marched to the station with Albert Ojwang's body.
Ojwang was initially detained at the station before being transferred to Nairobi, where he died while in police custody at Central Police Station.
Tensions boiled over as mourners, marching with the coffin, stormed the station compound and set some structures on fire.
Some officers were spotted carrying their personal belongings out of the quarters, while others desperately poured water on the buildings in a bid to contain the fire.
In images seen by Nairobileo.co.ke, protesters were seen carrying the uprooted signage of the police station while protesting Ojwang's killing.
