On Saturday, March 18, student leaders affiliated with Azimio La Umoja were arrested while holding a press conference in one of Nairobi’s hotels.
Police accused the students of holding an illegal meeting to inform their loyalists ahead of the March 20 demonstrations.
Detectives are reported to have stormed the hotel before the press conference could begin.
Nearly 50 student leaders were handcuffed and placed in waiting land cruisers and are expected to be arraigned in
Court on Monday, March 20. The students serving under the Kenya University Students Organization (KUSO) umbrella were set to give directives to other student organizations across the country.
Another contingent of police officers later arrived at the police station and moved the students to Central Police Station, where they were grilled.
The student leaders agitated against the arrest, noting that police officers were clearly violating their right to associate and express themselves without fear of reprisal from the government.
Central Police officers later processed the students who may spend the weekend at the station.
