From soft whispers to cold cell floor: Njeri recounts her ordeal at the hands of cops

She told the Star she did not know that a faint whisper of her name by a woman at a graduation ceremony at Baraza Media Lab would upend her life, throw her Madaraka Day weekend in disarray and keep her on a cold cell floor for four nights. 

During the May 30 graduation, she was chatting with a group of friends when a woman walked to her, leaned over and whispered “Njeri, come”.

The woman stepped back, hoping Njeri would immediately follow her. She did not.

The woman came again with the whisper, repeating the call. 

At this point, Njeri grew suspicious, asking “have you called? Is it me you want?”. The woman answered in affirmative.

The happenings drew the attention of the small group Njeri was with.

She followed the woman but insisted that “we should just talk here because the ceremony is over and our conversation will not disrupt anyone”.

But woman insisted, saying “just come we talk outside”.

A little commotion ensued as the people at the graduation were demanding to know who the people were, but the woman and three other men, showed them their police badges. They led Njeri to a waiting car.  

In the car, she was sandwiched between a man and the woman. The other two men sat in front.

She told the Star she started protesting, demanding to know why she was being arrested.

Njeri asked that she be allowed to go pick her child from school as she had not made arrangements to have someone else pick her.

“They drove straight to my house in Embakasi village without asking for directions or any information from me. I was shocked how they knew this, meaning they have been illegally surveilling me,” she recounted.

At the estate, Njeri momentarily protested, refusing to get to the house because she wanted to go pick the child but the officer would hear none of that.

“They told me to get into my house. We know it is number 131.”

The officers ransacked the house, searching for devices, laptops and flash drives.

The long ride would start from here. 

“They did not blindfold me or beat me up or anything, but they were mean and full of threats,” she said.

“They would say 'we have seen many naughty people than you and we will straighten you up'. It was intimidating much as I knew I had done nothing wrong,” she said. 

She was eventually taken to DCI headquarters where she recorded a statement and told about the charge of creating the system for the public to send mass emails to the National Assembly’s finance committee. 

“I breathed a sigh of relief when I was told the charge. I even asked them if they were sure that was what I was being arrested for. I asked them that with their knowledge of the law if that was an offence.”

“They told they were just doing their job.” 

They took her fingerprints. 

After the statement, the officers changed and became friendly and humane, she said.

She was then taken to Muthaiga police station but because a majority of the arrestees were men, she was moved to Pangani police station.

“Surprisingly, the police officers were friendly and treated me with dignity. I was not harassed or abused in any way. I think it is because they realised my case had become public and it has attracted so much attention,” she said.

Njeri was eventually taken to court on Tuesday and was released on Sh100,000 bond. Magistrate Geoffrey Onsarigo scheduled the ruling for June 20, 2025, to determine whether she will have a case to answer. 

During the court session, detectives said Njeri directed mass emails to the official system of the Clerk of the National Assembly and hence interfered with the normal functioning of the systems. 

Her defence team, comprising of former Chief Justice David Maraga, argued that the charges lack a clear legal foundation and infringe upon her constitutional rights.