The Law Society of Kenya has sent lawyers to Lang’ata Police Station to seek the release of former Chief Justice David Maraga and other activists arrested during a protest on Monday, June 8.
Maraga was detained along Lang’ata Road while demonstrating against the alleged irregular allocation of land inside Nairobi National Park. Nine other protesters were also taken into custody, and police confiscated equipment from journalists covering the event, according to former BBC journalist Ian Wafula. LSK President Charles Kanjama said the society had dispatched a legal team to demand the unconditional release of those held. He described the arrests as an attack on constitutional freedoms under Article 37 and called for an end to the harassment of civic actors. The protest targeted plans by the Kenya Wildlife Service to clear about 76 acres of forest for a relocated animal orphanage and an 8-acre parking lot linked to the KSh41.9 billion Bomas International Convention Center. Environmental groups have opposed the project, citing a lack of public participation and threats to the park’s ecosystem. Kanjama stated that national heritage sites should not be bartered behind closed doors and urged a transparent public audit of the Bomas expansion plan.
