DPP Igonga declines to approve charges against blogger Kelvin Moinde for lack of evidence

Director of Public Prosecutions Renson Igonga has declined to approve charges against Kelvin Moinde, who was arrested alongside the late Albert Omondi Ojwang for allegedly tarnishing the name of Deputy Inspector General (Kenya Police) Eliud Lagat.

In a statement to the press, Igonga said there is sufficient evidence provided by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to charge the blogger.

“The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) acknowledges receipt of the inquiry investigation file on Kevin Moinde. Upon careful perusal of the inquiry file, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is satisfied that there is NO sufficient evidence to charge him,” he said.

The DPP also stated that his office is committed to executing its constitutional mandate by the law, public interest, and administration of justice.

The statement by the DPP comes after earlier on, reports indicated that Moinde had been moved from Kamukunji Police Station, where he was being held, and taken to Milimani Law Courts to be charged.

Moinde was arrested yesterday in Kisii and brought to Nairobi where he was put in custody at Kamukunji Police Station.

His arrest was made public after his friends raised an alarm on social media hours.

On his part, Omondi was arrested while at his family home in Homa Bay on Saturday at around 3 pm and also whisked to Nairobi and held at Central Police Station where he died under mysterious circumstances.

His father stated that they had been requested by the officers who arrested him to get more reports at a police station, but the next information they got was that his son had died after allegedly banging his head on the cell wall.

The father narrated that it was just before they had their meals when three motorbikes arrived at the homestead and took his son.

“He was placed in handcuffs and taken away. When I asked what he was being arrested for, they (police officers) said my son had insulted their boss on the social media platform, X. When I asked which boss was insulted, an officer told me off before he instructed me to follow them to Mawingu Police Station,” the father stated.

Earlier today, the Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja, stated that Omondi was arrested together with a few others, whom he did not mention, or give the exact number.

The IG stated that investigations have been on the alleged tarnishing of the name of Lagat, which has not been specifically identified.

“The reason why the late Albert was arrested, together with a few others, is that a complaint had been launched by the DIG (Kenya Police) about his name being tarnished, so it was on that basis that investigations were being carried out,” Kanja stated.

He reiterated that the DIG is also protected by the law.