The CORD and Jubilee politicians who were arrested for hate speech and incitement faced reality when they were subjected to ‘ordinary mwananchi’ treatment in jail
Among the conditions they considered harsh was sleeping on the floor and using shoes for pillows
They were also subjected to non-five star treatment as they were served limp jail food of tea, bread, Ugali and cabbage on routine
The politicians who were arrested for uttering words believed to be amounting to hate speech had reality forcibly sunk into them when they were subjected to ‘dehumanising’ conditions while in police custody at various police stations.
According to the Star, the politicians did not receive any specialized treatment as they were used to but were subjected to living conditions they considered harsh.
A police officer who spoke to the newspaper on condition of anonymity said that the politicians had tea and bread for breakfast, Ugali and cabbage for lunch and supper.
“Going into the cells, they were required to remove one shoe. Most of the politicians opted to use these shoes as their pillows as they slept on the cold hard floor,” said the officer.
Machakos Senator Johnson Muthama and Suna East member of Parliament Junet Mohammed slept on their shoes.
Muthama was also heard complaining of a stinking toilet and being subjected to dehumanizing condition.
He also demanded for daily newspapers as well as clean drinking water.
They were also denied visits by their spouses and relatives.
“Barely an hour into their incarceration did the politicians begin calling senior police officers and contacts to see if they could organize for their freedom or be moved to the Kileleshwa police station which they said fitted their status,” added the officer.
By Tuesday, June 14, the politicians eventually accepted their reality, and Kabete member of parliament, Ferdinand Waititu, was the first one to become sick.
It was Muthama who alerted the police to his rival colleague’s health condition after he failed to wake up when the rest were already up and about just before the senior officers came for a routine head count.
Eight Kenyan politicians were arrested for incitement and hate speech on Tuesday, June 14, and arraigned in court on the same day.
The court issued orders for them to stay in police remand for four days to allow for investigations to take place without the risk of those arrested tampering with witnesses.
They were held in Gigiri, Muthaiga and Pangani police stations.
Those arrested included Machakos Senator Johnson Muthama, Kitutu Masaba MP Timothy Bosire, Suna East MP Junet Mohammed and Busia Women Representative Florence Mutua.
Others included Kilifi Women Representative Aisha Jumwa, Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria, Bahati MP Kimani Ngunjiri and Kabete Ferdinand Waititu.
According to reports, the latest wave of hate speech in the country was ignited by comments made by Moses Kuria as he called for the assassination of CORD leader Raila Odinga.
He had been speaking in his native Kikuyu language and the utterances were caught on video which went viral after being posted online.
