Four filmmakers linked to the BBC documentary Blood Parliament were Friday night arrested in Nairobi.
They were picked up from their studio in Karen and detained at Muthaiga police station for unclear reasons.
They were identified as Nicholas Gichuki, Chris Wamae, Brian Adagala and Mark Karubiu.
The filmmakers are reportedly being held at Muthaiga and Pangani police stations in Nairobi, activist Boniface Mwangi said.
“The police have arrested three filmmakers, Nicholas Wambugu, Brian Adagala, MarkDenver Karubiu, and a Chris Wamae at their offices at Karen Village. The police confiscated their equipment, and hard drives,” he said.
He added a group of lawyers were pursuing the matter.
“Lawyer lan Mutiso has traced Nicholas Wambugu, and Brian Adagala at Pangani, and MarkDenver Karubiu, and Chris Wamae at Muthaiga.”
A team of detectives had been trailing the group for grilling as part of the probe into the production.
There was no immediate comment from police over latest developments of May 2 and 3, 2025.
The reasons for their arrest is yet to be known but activists and friends believe it’s their alleged role in the production of the film that exposed police and military extrajudicial killings during the Gen Z protests.
It comes after the BBC released a 40-minute investigation revealing how Kenyan security forces opened fire on anti-tax protesters outside Parliament in June 2024, killing and injuring several people.
The Director of Public Prosecutions has ordered investigations into events of Gen Z protests on Parliament on June 25, 2024.
This follows the recent exposé aired by the BBC Africa Eye programme, which investigated protesters’ access to the Kenyan Parliament during the 2024 Gen Z-led protests.
DPP Mulele Ingonga said the publicly available program highlights significant evidence and footage capturing the events that unfolded during that period.
“Notably, several individuals of interest were either clearly visible or mentioned in relation to the protesters access to parliament and otherother activities surrounding the protest.”
“This programme raises serious concerns about potential breaches of public order, as well as the use of force, possible misconduct, and the accountability of those involved including security forces and protest participants,” he said in a statement.
He ordered the Independent Policing Oversight Authority to investigate the issue.
But given some of those involved could be from the military, experts are calling for a wider involvement of other bodies in the probe.
But the DPP said it is crucial that IPOA plays its mandated role to independently and transparently investigate these events and forward the investigation file to the DPP for perusal and advice.
“Given the clarity of some of the footage and testimonies in the documentary, the Director of Public Prosecutions directs that IPOA urgently initiates investigations to identify and bring to account the alleged perpetrators involved in the breach of Parliament, investigate any misconduct or excessive use of force by law enforcement officers during the protests and ensure that witnesses mentioned or shown in the documentary are protected and potentially called upon to provide statements.”
“This matter is a public interest matter and touches on the heart of our democratic values-freedom of expression, lawful assembly, and institutional accountability,” said Ingonga.
IPOA noted in an earlier statement that 60 deaths have been registered and have already completed investigations into 22 while actively pursuing 36, with two currently before the courts.
They include Rex Masai and Evans Kiratu, who were gunned down in Nairobi on the day of the protests, with police officers being the key suspects.
“Of the completed investigations, 8 are under final internal review, 4 are in the final stages of report writing before submission to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP) for independent review, 2 were closed internally, 4 have been forwarded to the ODPP for review, and 3 were closed following ODPP directives,” read the statement in part.
Among the 60 death cases, 29 cases , 8 were recorded in Nyeri, 6 in Kakamega, Kisumu (6), Nakuru (4), Eldoret (3), Mombasa (3) and Meru (1).
The Authority also recorded another 233 injury cases from the demonstrations with 191 currently under investigations.
Of the remaining cases, 42 were closed internally, while 2 were forwarded to the ODPP.
IPOA has however noted that there has been instances of non-cooperation from police officers and witnesses, which has impeded the progress of some investigations.
The Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ) congratulated the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for bold journalism that exposed police brutality and killings of innocent young Kenyans during the protests against Finance Bill last year.
“This is journalism that the world needs today to hold authorities to account for their actions,” said secretary general Eric Oduor.
The “Blood Parliament” documentary demonstrates the media’s role as the Fourth Estate that keeps other Estates in check, especially the government to respect the rule of law, he added.
“We have noted that a section of political class is not happy with this excellent piece of journalism, but it’s only a matter of time before the reality hits them.”
“As a country, we cannot pretend that all is well and that nothing happened in this country on June 25, 2024. The public has the right to get accurate information from the media and we encourage journalists to remain true to the calling and promote bold journalism,” he said.
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