Standard Group journalist Collins Kweyu was arrested on Friday, September 19, under unclear circumstances and is currently being held at Central Police Station in Nairobi, sparking outrage from media unions and press freedom defenders.

According to police, the arrest was carried out by detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Migori, where a local judge is listed as the complainant. Officers at Central Police Station said they cannot grant Kweyu bail, insisting he will be transferred to Migori.

Kweyu, however, claims the arrest is linked to his pursuit of a story involving allegations that the judge received a KSh 10 million bribe.

He says he was lured into the arrest after being invited to a meeting at Hot Dishes Restaurant in Nairobi, only to be confronted by detectives and taken away without being informed of any charges.

The Crime Journalists Association of Kenya (CJAK) described the arrest as an attempt to muzzle investigative journalism and intimidate reporters probing corruption within the judiciary.

“We wish to state clearly: using state machinery to silence a journalist investigating possible corruption within the judiciary is an attack not only on press freedom but on the very rule of law itself,” CJAK said in a statement. The group also criticised the Friday evening arrest, saying it was timed to keep Kweyu behind bars until Monday.

CJAK further raised concern over police obtaining court orders to search Kweyu’s home and seize his computer equipment, warning that the move was aimed at exposing his sources.

“In journalism, sources are sacred. Any attempt to compel Mr Kweyu to reveal his sources is a grave infringement on press freedom and a direct violation of the constitutional protection of journalists in Kenya,” the statement by CJAK Secretary General Brian Obuya continued.

The Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ) also confirmed the arrest, with Secretary-General Eric Oduor saying efforts are underway to secure Kweyu’s release on cash bail.

CJAK has demanded Kweyu’s immediate release or swift arraignment in court, while calling on police to guarantee his safety.

The association invoked the memory of journalist Albert Ojwang’, who died under suspicious circumstances after police detention, warning authorities not to repeat past mistakes. “A free press is the cornerstone of democracy, and we will not relent in defending it,” Obuya added.

This is the second time in a matter of days that a Kenyan journalist has come under attack for just doing his/her job. On Monday, September 15, Habil Onyango of The People Daily came out with shocking claims that he was abducted and tortured on Friday, September 12, following his report that exposed how a Homa Bay County official was allegedly accepting bribes and enabling illegal hiring through forged documents.

Onyango said the assailants pressured him to issue a public apology and retract allegations involving a woman named in his corruption investigation.

Amidst the uproar from media unions and circles, the Homa Bay County Government interdicted one of its senior officers. Beatrice Mercy Akuogo, a Human Resources (HR) Officer in the Department of Roads, Transport, and Public Works, was suspended from duty with immediate effect after accusations emerged linking her to the incident.

According to county officials, the journalist was allegedly abducted, held against his will, physically assaulted, and threatened. The county described the claims as “grave” and “abhorrent,” adding that the interdiction would allow for a full, impartial, and unimpeded investigation.