Lawyer and civic activist Shadrack Wambui has moved to the High Court in Nairobi, seeking anticipatory bail to forestall what he terms an imminent and politically motivated arrest.
Through his lawyer, Wambui has filed an urgent application at the Kibera Law Courts claiming state security agencies, acting on political orders, are planning to apprehend him in connection with a peaceful protest held in Ongata Rongai on June 25.
Wambui, who heads the grassroots civic group Sheria Mtaani na Shadrack Wambui, argues that his vocal stance on public interest matters and sustained activism have placed him in the crosshairs of politically connected individuals seeking to suppress dissent.
“The intended arrest is a calculated scheme to intimidate and silence the applicant,” the court documents state.
“The Friday arrest tactic is notorious for locking up individuals over the weekend without access to courts,” he claims.
He further claims to have received credible intelligence pointing to a scheme not just to arrest but also to physically harm him.
The protest in Rongai, according to his affidavit, began peacefully but was later infiltrated by armed goons allegedly dispatched by unnamed political actors. Wambui says he narrowly survived an attempted stabbing during the chaos.
Through lawyer Danstan Omari, Wambui says the day after the protest, the area Member of Parliament made remarks that seemingly blamed “someone from Mathare” for sponsoring the unrest—an apparent allusion to Wambui, who is a well-known resident and community advocate in Mathare.
Wambui argues that the MP’s insinuations, coupled with summons issued by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), are part of a wider plot to target him unjustly. “There is a real and immediate threat of arrest today, Friday, to deny me the chance to seek legal recourse before Monday,” Wambui says in his affidavit.
He is now asking the court to issue orders restraining both the DCI and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions from arresting or interfering with his liberty, pending the full hearing and determination of the application.
His lawyer, Danstan Omari, has urged the court to treat the case as urgent, warning that inaction could expose his client to arbitrary detention and potential harm.
