Police Arrest TWO Activists For Disrupting Finance Bill Public Participation
Mombasa police officers detained two human rights activists who were seeking to halt the public participation procedure for the Finance Bill that was now underway.
The activists peacefully attended the forum at Tononoka Hall and took to the stage to beg that the procedure be suspended and rescheduled for a different day in honor of the Muslim Eid-ul-Adha celebrations.
The two activists, Mathius Shipeta of Haki Africa and Francis Auma of the Muhuri Organisation claimed that the process should not take place on a national holiday.
“Today is a public holiday, why are you conducting the process today, you are disrespecting the Ministry of Interior,” one of the activists revealed.
Despite having received a court order to stop the process, the police officers stationed at the facility ignored their plea.
Instead, they proceeded to arrest them, hauling them out of the hall and placing them in custody.
“There are no people in the hall, the numbers are barely up to 30 people, what kind of public participation is this,” the activists raised an alarm.
Earlier today, our Rapid Response Officer Francis Auma, alongside Mathias Shipeta of Haki Afrika, was arrested for peacefully protesting an illegal public participation forum convened by the National Assembly at Tononoka Hall in Mombasa.
— Muslims for Human Rights (MUHURI) (@MUHURIkenya) June 6, 2025
1/ pic.twitter.com/vDTMeWjVHE
Haki Africa decried the activists’ detention, accusing the organisers of purposefully organizing it on a vacation to prevent significant engagements, while Kenyans were away on holiday.
“Holding such an important national exercise during a holiday undermines the spirit of meaningful public participation, a constitutional right under Article 10 of the Kenyan Constitution,” read an official statement from the group.
They also urged the release of the two activists, as well as public engagement in the Finance Bill 2025 that is transparent, inclusive, and respectful of all Kenyans’ diverse backgrounds.
Activist arrests have been regular throughout the country.
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Rose Njeri, a software engineer and activist, was detained less than a week ago for creating a website where Kenyans could express their opposition to the Finance Bill 2025.
Njeri was held in police custody for four days and charged with unauthorized computer system interference.
She was later released on Wednesday on a Ksh100,000 bail, pending a hearing.
Just before that, activist Boniface Mwangi and his Ugandan colleague Agather Atuhire were arrested, jailed, and tortured in Tanzania while attending Tundu Lissu’s hearing.
Police Arrest TWO Activists For Disrupting Finance Bill Public Participation
