A court in Kibera has set free three activists who were charged with organizing looters and instigating violence during the Gen-Z protests that took place on June 25, 2025.
On July 2, 2025, Wednesday, Magistrate Marcia Kahuya issued a cash bail of Ksh200,000 to John Mulingwa Nzau, commonly referred to as Garang, Mark Amiani, alias Generali, and Francis Mutunge Mwangi, also referred to as Chebukati.
In her ruling, Magistrate Kahuya indicated that the prosecution had not established any extraordinary circumstances that would justify having the three behind bars as the only means of dispensing justice.
“In the interest of justice while having regard to public interest, order, and national security, prayer (d) of the application is allowed; that pending the conclusion of the investigations, it is hereby ordered that the respondents be released on cash bail of Ksh200,000,” ruled Magistrate Kahuya.
Magistrate Marcia Kahuya also ordered forensic analysis of the electronic devices police arrested the three activists with.
She directed the three to appear at Muthaiga Police Station on Mondays and Thursdays at 9 a.m. to aid the investigations being undertaken.
The Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had prior to that made a miscellaneous application for the activists to be detained for 21 days to provide investigators with more time to bring forth their evidence.
But the defence counsels strongly objected to the application, insisting that their clients had not done anything wrong. They also told the court that the arrests were made without valid warrants and asked that the trio be released on free bond.
“Your honour, the respondents (Mulingwa, Amiani, and Mutunge) did not commit any offence for them to be detained. We urge this court to release them on a free bond,” defense lawyers told the court.
DCI Links Freed Activists to Arson, Theft, and Burglary
Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officer George Karanja told the court that investigators have linked the three activists to a myriad of serious offenses, including arson.
He added that the three are also under investigation for theft, as stipulated in Section 268 read together with Section 275 of the Penal Code, as well as housebreaking and burglary pursuant to Section 304.
The DCI is also investigating the three for allegedly causing malicious damage to property, contrary to Section 339(1) of the Penal Code.
Karanja further revealed that after it dawned on them the extent of the destruction and public outcry evoked by the June 25 protests, the three suspects attempted to flee by boarding a bus heading to Mombasa in an attempt to avoid arrest.
The suspects were halted by police at Konza City on the Nairobi–Mombasa Highway while attempting to flee in a Mombasa-bound bus. Police spotted and arrested them on the spot.
The trio were the masterminds behind the mayhem during the June 25 protests, the DCI investigations have established. Officer George Karanja informed the court that initial findings reveal the three were directly involved in planning, mobilizing, and funding groups that went into the demonstrations and committed crime.
Karanja added that police recovered a notebook claimed to contain elaborate plans, including mapped out locations and individuals suspected of having arranged the looting, burglary, and burning of public and private property during the protests.
The case will be referred to on July 23, 2025, for further directions.
