Kenyan rights groups condemn arrest of protest site developer
Kenyan rights groups have condemned the arrest of a software developer who built a platform opposing a contentious finance bill, warning that it reflected an intensifying crackdown on dissent.
The East African country has been cracking down on critics of the government since massive protests last June against tax rises and corruption.
Security forces are accused by rights groups of killing at least 60 people during the protests and abducting dozens more in the aftermath.
On May 19, developer Rose Njeri shared a link to her website on X, saying it was built to oppose a new finance bill, which she warned would raise living costs and breach privacy rights.
She was arrested on Friday afternoon, triggering a storm of online outrage.
She remained in police custody in Nairobi on Sunday.
"All efforts to secure her release on police bail have so far been frustrated by the officers in charge who are yet to cede to requests by counsel to release her," said Faith Odhiambo, head of the main lawyers' association (LSK), said on X on Saturday.
Rights group Vocal Africa said on X that Njeri's arrest was "a blatant attack on digital rights, freedom of expression and civic engagement".
President William Ruto said last month that all people abducted following the June-July anti-government protests had been "returned to their families".
He promised it would not happen again.
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