Njeri Maina Decries Detention of Minors Beyond Legal Limit, Blasts ODPP Over Saba Saba Arrests

By Juliet Jerotich 

Kirinyaga Woman Representative Njeri Maina has strongly condemned the prolonged detention of children arrested during recent Saba Saba protests, calling it a gross violation of their rights and a stain on Kenya’s justice system.

Speaking on Monday, Maina revealed that nearly ten minors—some as young as 13—have been held in remand custody for over ten days, far beyond the legal limit for juvenile detention without trial.

“We’ve identified about 10 minors, all under the age of 18, who have remained in remand for more than 10 days,” she said. “This is unacceptable. The law is clear, and these children should never have been treated this way.”

Maina accused the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) of blatantly disregarding due process in handling cases involving children. She called out the DPP for approving criminal charges against underage individuals despite clear constitutional protections.

“It’s not that the DPP doesn’t know the law. They know the proper way to process minors. But they proceed with charging them anyway—as though the government has nothing better to do than to intimidate children,” she said, visibly frustrated.

“They excel at this kind of cruelty. If there’s one area they overperform in, it’s terrorizing minors. It’s disgraceful—deeply disgraceful.”

The remarks follow public outrage over the recent arraignment of several protesters, including children, in Thika Law Courts on Wednesday, July 17. The suspects—charged with terrorism-related offences—were granted bail at KSh 100,000 each, a figure families and human rights groups have slammed as excessive and punitive.

Emotional scenes unfolded at the courthouse as grieving parents and guardians broke down in tears. One mother cried out, “This is injustice!” while others pleaded for the release of their children.

A heart-wrenching moment came when a grandmother, confined to the back of a police truck, shouted her grandson’s name, begging for his freedom. Her faint voice barely pierced the cries around her.

The tension spiraled further as families refused to leave the courthouse. Some angry mothers threatened to undress in protest—a powerful cultural symbol of desperation and defiance. Police quickly cordoned off parts of the court compound and heightened security to prevent further unrest.

Maina called for the immediate release of the minors and demanded an independent investigation into how the cases were handled.

“These children were standing up for their future. Instead of protecting them, the system has punished them. We must act now to stop this abuse,” she said.

Civil society groups have also weighed in, demanding the withdrawal of the charges and holding the ODPP accountable for what they describe as a crackdown on dissent disguised as legal process.

As public anger grows, pressure is mounting on authorities to not only free the detained minors but also review the controversial handling of the Saba Saba arrests—before the damage becomes irreversible.