Kenya: Second opposition member arrested February 2 /update 4

Event

Police arrested Miguna Miguna, a member of the opposition National Resistance Movement (NRM), at his home in Nairobi on Friday, February 2. Miguna was detained for participating in Raila Odinga’s illegal swearing-in ceremony on January 30 in Nairobi. Following the event, Miguna declared himself a “general” of the NRM. The government has also refused to follow a court order to allow three private Kenyan television stations to resume broadcasting. As of Friday, NTV, Citizen TV, and KTN News remain shut down and the government has not issued a statement explaining why it has not followed the court’s decision. Protests against Miguna’s arrest and the media blackout may occur in the coming days, particularly in Nairobi and other opposition strongholds.

Context

Tensions are high in the country after Odinga was "sworn in" as the "People's President" on January 30. The following day, Opposition MP TJ Kajwang was arrested in Nairobi for swearing in Odinga at the ceremony. In response to the arrest, National Super Alliance (NASA) supporters rioted in the streets of Kisumu (Kisumu county), lighting fires and blocking traffic in the city's Kondele area. On Thursday, February 1, Kenya’s High Court ruled against the government’s decision to suspend broadcasting by three private television stations for two weeks.

Kenya experienced several months of political crisis surrounding the 2017 presidential elections. Incumbent President Kenyatta was initially declared the victor of the August 8 election, garnering 54 percent of the vote.  However, in early September, the Supreme Court officially invalidated the vote due to "irregularities." A re-run election was held in October, but was boycotted by Odinga, who claimed the vote would not be fair. President Kenyatta won re-election with 98 percent of the vote, but with only 39 percent voter turnout. These months of political instability in Kenya were accompanied by violent protests, by both government and opposition supporters.

Advice

Individuals in Kenya, particularly in Nairobi and Kisumu, are advised to avoid all public gatherings (particularly political events) due to the risk of violence and to monitor the situation.