Kitale Woman Freed After Detention Over Social Media Post

A 33-year-old woman who had been arrested by police over claims linked to a social media post has finally been released following an ordeal that also saw her mother allegedly harassed and briefly detained by officers in Nakuru.

May Jerono took to her social media in the wee hours of Sunday and confirmed that she was safe after she was arrested on Saturday.

“Thank you, I am safe. Shout out to all my Facebook friends, nawashukuru sana. To my enemies, I’m loved bana si mliona chesaa. I’m so overwhelmed, I just wanted to say thank you. I’m at home, I’m safe. I just want to rest, then tomorrow I will tell you all what really happened. Everything that you need to know,” she said.

She added that authorities had confiscated her phone, which delayed updates about her whereabouts.

“They took my phone, which is why I was unable to update anything from yesterday. But I was released very early, around 10:00 am, but they had some other things they were dealing with, so I had to wait. The rest I had to travel from Kitale to Nakuru its five hours. That is why I took long,” she said.

Jerono also assured the public that she would provide a full account of the events once she rested.

“Tomorrow I’ll tell you everything that you need to know. I’ll also be getting another phone tomorrow, so even if they return the other one, I won’t use it,” she added.

Her assurance comes amid public attention over her arrest, with calls for investigations into the conduct of officers involved and the alleged harassment of her mother.

The arrest sparked condemnation from political leaders, including People’s Liberation Party leader Martha Karua, who criticised the police for allegedly targeting Jerono’s mother to pressure her daughter.

“The arrest of a mother to coerce her daughter to show up at the police station is totally unacceptable and criminal,” Karua said.

Police in Nakuru came under scrutiny over their handling of the incident. Jerono’s mother, Census Ruto, a primary school teacher, recounted being humiliated at Athinai Primary School when officers allegedly stormed her classroom, forcing her to sit on the floor in front of students and colleagues.

“Walikuja ndani ya shule na kuni harass vibaya mbele ya wanafunzi wangu na walimu… walininyanganya ata simu nilikuwa nayo kwa nguvu… I was just shocked and asked why all these wanasema nitajulia mbele,” Ms Ruto said.

The ordeal extended beyond the school, with Ruto alleging that officers took her to Kaptembwo Police Station for charges she did not understand.

“Kufika police station, kidogo msichana wangu akaingia, wakaanza kukataa ata tusiongee na msichana… ata kwa nyumba yake waliransack kila mahali,” she said.

Speaking through her lawyer, Jerono explained that plain-clothed officers had picked her up without a clear reason and later went to her family home, where her mother was allegedly harassed. Her lawyer described the arrest as unprocedural and intended to intimidate Jerono over her freedom of expression, emphasising that the social media post in question did not constitute a criminal offence.