Locked Up for Code, Not Crime

Rose Njeri wasn’t armed. She wasn’t protesting in the streets or disrupting public order. She built a website—a clean, functional civic tool designed to help ordinary Kenyans submit their views on the controversial 2025 Finance Bill. For that, she now sits in a cold cell, her rights in limbo, her voice silenced.

On the day of her arrest, fifteen DCI officers stormed into her home with brute force, tossing her belongings like evidence at a crime scene. Her phone, laptop, and hard drives were all taken. No formal charges were immediately read. No warrant was shown. Her crime? Making public participation easier in a country whose government claims to be “digital first.”

A Legal Dead End at Pangani

When her family and supporters visited Pangani Police Station, they were met with bureaucratic shrugs and washed hands. The police claimed she was not their prisoner — she was “DCI property,” and only the Directorate of Criminal Investigations could authorize her release. A citizen detained without charge. A mother held without access to her children. And a legal system shifting responsibility like a hot stone.

It’s this brand of institutional cowardice that increasingly defines state-police behavior. No one wants to claim accountability when the arrest reeks of political retaliation. No one wants to be the face of repression — but someone in power ordered this.

Targeted for Civic Tech: The Real Motive

Let’s be honest. Njeri wasn’t targeted because of security concerns. She was arrested because her platform gave people a voice — an organized, visible, data-backed voice. And for a regime that thrives on top-down control and silencing dissent, that kind of empowerment is a threat.

The Finance Bill 2025 has already sparked nationwide backlash, and the government knows it. But instead of addressing the real issues — ballooning taxes, reckless borrowing, and a growing cost of living — the state is focusing its energy on punishing messengers like Njeri. This isn’t about national security. It’s about fear — fear of accountability, fear of organized citizens, and fear of digital democracy.

Read this related article:  Rose Njeri Arrested Over Finance Bill Website

In Her Absence, Children Wait

Perhaps the most painful part of this ordeal lies at home. Njeri’s children have no idea where their mother is. They weren’t told she had been arrested. There’s no playbook for explaining to a child that their mother is in jail because she built a tool to help Kenyans speak up. No child should go to sleep wondering if their mother will come home again, especially when their mother did nothing but serve her country with integrity.

Lawlessness Must Be Confronted

Her detention is not just unlawful — it’s cruel. Even with a public holiday in place, there’s hope that a duty magistrate will hear her case and bring justice into play. But justice shouldn’t depend on public pressure, trending hashtags, or whether the media picks up the story.

The investigating officers who signed off on her arrest must be named and held accountable. They violated not just Njeri’s rights, but the rights of every Kenyan who believes in democracy. The message must be clear: this country belongs to its people — not a paranoid few afraid of being challenged.

A Call to Action

Rose Njeri remains hopeful because she knows the truth is on her side. She appreciates the messages, the support, the solidarity. But that’s not enough. This fight is about more than one woman. It’s about all of us.

Keep the pressure on. Call and text the DCI. Demand accountability. Demand her release. Demand a Kenya where speaking up is not a crime.

#FreeRoseNjeri #RejectFinanceBill2025 #DigitalRightsKE