Kenyan comedian Eric Omondi has been arrested at City Stadium along Jogoo Road in Nairobi where he was supposed to distribute maize flour to Kenyans struggling with the current high cost of living.
After the arrest, Omondi asked the police to free him since he was just trying to help his fellow Kenyans by distributing the free maize flour and easen the burden of food shortage.
He had invited everyone who planned to accompany him to the State House to receive the free unga.
This marks the second time the comedian is being arrested around Nairobi for demonstrating for the high cost of living which is affecting almost every Kenyan.
Omondi was later arraigned on Wednesday, February 22, at Milimani Law Courts longside 16 others with whom they were arrested together during the demonstration.
The suspects denied one count of taking part in an unlawful demonstration after they appeared before the Chief Magistrate, Lucas Onyina.
The accused persons later applied to be released on reasonable cash bail of not more than Ksh.5000 or personal bond.
Their lawyer, Danstan Omari, told court that the accused persons were international content creators and that the intention of the alleged unlawful assembly was to push the current government to deal with the rising cost of living in the country.
Omari urged the court to release the accused persons on bail and take the judicial notice that six million Kenyans are on the verge of fasting as per the government’s report.
In addition,the lawyer told the court that the young men represented 55 million Kenyans in pleading with the government to tame the high cost of living.
Omari asked the government to stop criminalizing the accused persons since they are natural heros who are fighting for the entire country since Kenyans are unable to afford their daily meals.
The court ordered each of the suspects to be released on a bond of Ksh.20000 or a cash bail of Ksh.10000.
Following Wednesday’s arrest, Omondi is set to be arraigned in court on Thursday.