Embakasi East MP Babu Owino [OWINO/FB]Embakasi East MP Babu Owino has aimed at the prosecution’s handling of TikToker Shadrack Omondi Okindo, alias Mosquito’s arrest, faulting authorities for allegedly violating his rights.
Appearing as part of the defence team in a case where the state is seeking to detain the content creator for 14 days, Owino painted a vivid picture of what he termed as a “traumatising and degrading” arrest, comparing the TikToker’s transportation from Mombasa to Nairobi to that of a ‘perishable good.’
“He was handcuffed from the back, wrapped
in his house, his children seeing this, traumatised, put inside a boot, driven from Mombasa to Nairobi, like a ‘perishable good’ without enough
oxygen because I don’t think there can be a sufficient supply of oxygen in the
boot,” Owino submitted.
The MP said the incident left the TikToker’s children
traumatised, forcing the family to seek counselling.
Injecting a light moment into the courtroom, Owino added,
“They drove him from Mombasa to Nairobi in a record four hours and twenty
minutes—a journey that normally takes 7 to 8 hours. You can imagine the
speed.”
The TikToker, popularly known as Hon. Mosquito, is facing
investigations linked to alleged incitement, subversive activities, and mobilisation of the public through social media platforms.
The prosecution alleges he appeared in a viral video wearing 'jungle green attire', and outweighed messages that have the potential to mobilise the masses and disrupt public order and national security.
“He has a wide following on social media, and some of the
potential witnesses are among that following,” the prosecution submitted, citing the risk of witness interference as one of the reasons for seeking his continued detention.
Milton Ligare, the investigating officer, had earlier
testified that police needed more time to complete forensic analysis of gadgets
seized from the TikToker and to conduct further searches.
However, Owino questioned why police had failed to complete
these steps despite having held Mosquito since August 4.
“You took an inventory in his house, you had all the time,
what more do you need?” he posed.
He asked the court to reject the state’s application seeking his further detention and
instead safeguard the respondent’s rights, insisting that investigations should
precede arrests, not the other way around.
The court is set to issue a ruling on the detention request on August 12, 2025.
