The arrest of 35-year-old Kenyan software developer and civic activist Rose Njeri has ignited widespread condemnation and protests, with activists, lawyers, and public figures demanding her immediate release.
Njeri, a single mother of two, was detained on Friday, 30 May 2025, in Nairobi’s South B estate for creating Civic Email, an online platform designed to streamline public objections to the controversial Finance Bill 2025. Her continued detention at Pangani Police Station without formal charges or bail has raised serious concerns about democratic freedoms in Kenya.
Njeri’s Civic Email platform allowed Kenyans to submit feedback on the Finance Bill 2025 with a single click—an action that authorities claim could incite protests.
The bill, which proposes tax reforms including a 20 per cent Significant Economic Presence Tax on foreign digital businesses and a 10 per cent levy on money transfer services, has been criticised for potentially escalating the cost of living. Njeri’s tool also flagged clauses that could undermine privacy rights by allowing tax authorities to access personal data without a court order.
In a tweet on 19 May 2025, Njeri wrote: “I wrote a simple program that lets you reject the Finance Bill 2025 with just one click. Click below to send your objection,” accompanied by a link to her platform.
The arrest, executed by officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), involved a raid on Njeri’s home, where police seized her phone, laptop, and hard drives. Reports indicate that Njeri, who suffers from iron-deficiency anaemia, is experiencing deteriorating health in custody.
Her aunt, Eva Waithera, expressed concern, stating: “She’s worried and has a lot of fear. She complains of a cold in the cell, and her condition is worsening without access to her medication.” Activists who visited her noted that she appeared crestfallen, anxious about her two children left without their mother’s care.
On Sunday, 1 June, a group of activists, including prominent figures Boniface Mwangi and Hanifa Adan, alongside Njeri’s family, gathered outside Pangani Police Station, chanting liberation songs and demanding her release.
Mwangi, nursing injuries from a recent detention in Tanzania, posted on X: “Imagine having to tell her children that she’s in jail for developing a website that eases public participation.” Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah, who visited Njeri, called her detention unlawful and a violation of her constitutional rights.
Former Chief Justice David Maraga also condemned the arrest as a betrayal of the spirit of Madaraka Day, a national holiday celebrating self-rule. “Ms Rose Njeri is the latest to be abducted for innovating an accessible system for citizens to express their views. This completely negates the spirit of Madaraka,” Maraga said in a statement. He further pledged support for Kenya’s youth in their push to reclaim democratic space.
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The Law Society of Kenya (LSK), led by President Faith Odhiambo, has faced obstacles in securing Njeri’s release. Odhiambo reported that the detention reflects a recurrence of dictatorship and noted that officers have obstructed legal counsel’s access to Njeri.
Veteran lawyer John Khaminwa, who sought bail for Njeri, said the officer in charge at Pangani claimed “his hands are tied.” Diana Gichengo of the Institute of Social Accountability (TISA) emphasised: “Anyone charged with a crime should be produced before a court as soon as possible. Rose was brought to Pangani Friday at 1 p.m., so there has been ample time to process bail.”
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua joined the chorus of voices demanding Njeri’s release, accusing the government of targeting young people to suppress dissent. “She built a tool to help Kenyans engage their leaders peacefully. The state responded with repression,” Gachagua said on Monday.
Gachagua further questioned the government’s motives, referencing Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen’s proposal to criminalise “fake abductions,” which critics fear could be used to silence activists.
However, not all voices align with the call for Njeri’s release. Homa Bay Township MP Opondo Kaluma controversially called for her prosecution, stating on X: “Stable democratic states are run by established institutions, not idle activists! We are a rule-of-law nation. Arrest and have her prosecuted.”
Conversely, Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot praised Njeri’s platform as brilliant, expressing unease over her arrest. “It bothers me… I thought what she had done was a legitimate means of civic engagement,” Cheruiyot said, referencing a Senate motion he supported to enhance public participation.
Njeri’s detention has reignited memories of last year’s protests against the Finance Bill 2024, which resulted in over 50 deaths and dozens of abductions during a security crackdown.
The timing of her arrest, just days after President William Ruto apologised to youth at the National Prayer Breakfast for past state brutality, has fuelled accusations of hypocrisy.
Online, hashtags like #FreeRoseNjeri are trending, with Kenyans amplifying calls for her release and condemning what they see as an attack on free speech.
– Jeremiah Richu
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