THIKA, Kenya — Anguish and desperate cries filled the air outside Thika Law Courts on Wednesday, as 58 suspects, agitated by a recent bail ruling, stood behind cell gates. From within, they pounded on the gates and pleaded, yearning for a freedom that felt agonizingly close yet heartbreakingly out of reach for both themselves and their distraught parents gathered outside.
Despite the raw emotion emanating from both sides, the court’s decision remained firm: each suspect was ordered to pay a substantial bail of Ksh 100,000 or post a bond of Ksh 300,000. For most of the families, this sum proved to be an impossible hurdle.
Mothers, overwhelmed by desperation, threatened to strip off in protest, while some boarded police vehicles, vowing to accompany their children to remand, unable to meet the prohibitive bail demands.
Emmah Wambui, one of the distraught parents, recounted her conversation with her child: “Vile nilienda police station nilimwuuliza kama mama ‘na mtoto uliiba supermarket?’ Akaniambia ‘hapana, ambia DCI wakupee CCTV wakinivuta mpaka Maathai Supermarket nikichapwa.”
Another parent, Jennifer Atieno, shared a similar harrowing account: “Alikuwa ameenda kwa duka akaniambai mum wacha nikununulie maziwa niende kwangu…akashikwa, akaniambia mum nimeshikwa… kwenda nikakuta amewekwa kwa group ya robbery.”
The charge sheet for the suspects, arrested in the aftermath of the Saba Saba protests, was as severe as the bail terms, with each individual facing a capital offense: robbery with violence. They are accused of serious and alleged armed robbery targeting John Okeyo Otieno, the manager of Mathai Supermarket in Juja, where goods valued at over Ksh 8.7 million were reportedly stolen during the Saba Saba protests.
Emmah Wambui, further expressed the collective despair and anger: “Dhalilisheni maskini kabisa lakini tulikuwa na watu kama Mobutu Sese Seko…Murkomen unaongea vibaya sana ukisema Ksh 50,000 ni kidogo lakini ujue hawa watu ndio waliwachagua.”
Kiritu Chege, a brother to one of the suspects, added his voice to the protest: “Hakuna mtu hapa ako na pesa ya kutoa Ksh 100,000 na hii ni mashtaka ambayo hawana ata evidence moja kuonyesha mtu alifanya hiyo kitu.”
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Beyond the robbery with violence charge, some of the accused also face allegations of damaging two police vehicles at Juja Police Station and injuring three police officers – Dorcas Cherui, Dennis Nganga, and Wallace Waithaka – all of whom have formally pressed charges alongside Mathai Supermarket Manager John Okeyo.
Despite the outpouring of sorrow and fervent pleas, the suspects remain in remand, unable to meet the bail requirements.
Their fate now rests with the courts as they await trial, a heavy burden falling not only on them but also on their struggling families.
