Kahawa Law CourtsEight suspects accused of orchestrating the July 3 arson attack on Mawego police station in Homa Bay have denied terrorism and arson charges leveled against them.
Appearing before the Kahawa Law Courts on Tuesday, the group pleaded not guilty to three counts.
These are commission of a terrorist act under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, arson, and malicious damage to property under the Penal Code.
The suspects had earlier been detained on custodial orders issued by the Oyugis Law Court before being re-arrested on July 14 and transferred to the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) headquarters in Nairobi for formal charges.
Prosecutors opposed the suspects' release on bond, citing the seriousness of the offences, a position strongly contested by defence lawyers, who insisted their clients were innocent and should be granted bail.
Senior principal magistrate Richard Koech scheduled the case for mention on July 22, 2025, when a ruling on the bond application will be delivered.
Until then, the suspects will remain in custody at Kamiti Maximum Security Prison.
The Mawego attack happened when a group of youth stormed the station while carrying the coffin of Albert Ojwang’, a blogger and teacher who had died in police custody on June 8.
The attack followed public outrage over his death, with the mob overrunning the station, setting it ablaze, and destroying property in protest.
Ojwang', a secondary school teacher in Taita Taveta, was picked up from his home in Homa Bay on June 7 by DCI officers and briefly held at the station before being transported 400 km to Nairobi.
He died inside his cell at the Central police station after he was allegedly beaten by cellmates paid to do the job.
His arrest, according to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the National Police Service (NPS), arose from a complaint by Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat that he had defamed him in an online post.
Postmorterm results revealed that Ojwang' was assaulted and died from strangulation.
