A young Kiambu man who earned widespread recognition for publicly challenging traffic officers over alleged bribery is now fighting for his life, reportedly after a series of violent encounters he attributes to law enforcement.
Ezra Gacheru first captured public attention through videos he recorded of himself confronting traffic police officers along busy roads.
In those clips, he urged officers to refuse bribes and called on drivers not to hand over money even when pressured to do so, framing corruption prevention as a civic duty shared by every Kenyan.
Gacheru’s Allegations Against Officers
In a video shared on TikTok, Gacheru appeared in a hospital bed, visibly distressed and in pain, with a friend at his side. He then outlined seven formal allegations against individuals he identified as police officers.
He claimed he was abducted on three separate occasions, and that on none of those occasions was his name recorded in any station register or an Occurrence Book entry made, which he described as a direct violation of his constitutional rights.
During one incident in Juja, he said he and others were taken away without being told the reason for their arrest, in breach of Article 49 of the Constitution of Kenya. His account grew more harrowing from there.
He alleged that during one detention, officers told him and the others present that they would be killed at 8:00 PM in a forest.
He further claimed that officers subjected him to severe physical torture, including repeated manipulation of his testicles, which he said caused him to bleed.
Throughout his detention, he was neither taken to court within the required 24 hours, nor permitted to contact his family or a lawyer, and he received no medical attention.
“This was not a lawful arrest,” he stated. “It was abduction, attempted murder, and torture.”
Gacheru’s Demands to Authorities
From his hospital bed, Gacheru issued three demands. He called for a full and independent investigation by both the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) and the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR).
Gen Z known for confronting traffic police over bribery hospitalised after alleged abduction. He also demanded that the state cover all costs for his medical treatment in full, and that authorities put measures in place to protect his life, which he said remained in grave danger.
The allegations, if proven, would represent serious violations of Kenya’s constitutional protections against arbitrary detention and torture. No official response to Gacheru’s claims had been made public at the time of reporting.
