All four filmmakers, who were arrested last night for allegedly sharing false information, have been released from Pangani Police Station.
The four, Nicholas Wambugu, Brian Adagala, Mark Denver Karubiu, and Christopher Wamae, had been arrested at their studio in Karen, Nairobi and their equipment confiscated by the police.
According to Ezekiel ‘Ezy’ Onyango, Chairperson of the Kenya Film and Television Professionals Association (KFPTA), the four were facing charges related to publishing false information and cyberbullying.
The arrest and subsequent release of the filmmakers came in the wake of the BBC’s Blood Parliament documentary that exposed the police officers who shot protestors during the June 25, 2024, protests.
Veteran journalist John Allan Namu revealed on social media that he had been in contact with the filmmakers’ lawyers at the station, who revealed that the quartet’s arrest was related to the BBC documentary.
“Been in touch with lawyers at Pangani police station and have been told that the film makers arrested last night are being charged with false publication in relation to the BBC documentary #BloodParliament,” Namu posted on X.
“Their equipment was confiscated and they were made to give statements without legal representation. That this is happening on World Press Freedom Day begs a lot of questions about the objective in these arrests.”
A statement from the BBC Press Office, however, stated that the four filmmakers were not involved in the making of the exposé.
“We have been made aware of the arrest of four journalists in Kenya. To confirm, they were not involved in any way in the making of BBC Africa Eye’s Blood Parliament documentary,” the statement read in part.
Kenyan activist and photojournalist Boniface Mwangi also clarified that the four filmmakers work in his organisation, Sema Ukweli.
“They are my colleagues at Sema Ukweli and their arrest is worrying because they were not involved in the production of Blood Parliament. Some of the things confiscated belong to our organisation and it’s concerning that our government is afraid of the truth,” Mwangi posted on Instagram.
“There’s nothing wrong with Blood Parliament. What they should do is investigate the killer cops who murdered innocent young people.”
