Grace Njoki, the woman arrested on Thursday for allegedly disrupting a press briefing by Health Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa on Monday, January 20, has recounted her harrowing experience at the hands of law enforcement officers.
Speaking to journalists shortly after her release on a Ksh10,000 bail on Friday morning, Njoki accused the police of violating her rights, claiming she was arrested without being informed of the charges against her.
Njoki alleged that the ordeal began when she visited Ladnan Hospital in Nairobi for treatment. While at the hospital, she noticed a man following her and disclosed that he had trailed her from Kenyatta Hospital to Ladnan.
Moments later, two individuals—a man and a woman—approached her and demanded that she surrender.
“I asked them why they were arresting me and where they were taking me, but they refused to answer. They even claimed they were not arresting me,” Njoki recounted.
Realizing the situation was serious, the 61-year-old said she immediately tried to inform her husband and son about the incident. However, the officers confiscated her phone, preventing her from contacting her family or legal counsel.
Despite efforts by hospital staff to intervene, Njoki claimed she was forcibly removed from the premises by approximately 20 officers, whom she alleged were from Pangani Police Station.
“I was dragged out of the hospital where I had gone to receive treatment. They pinched and bullied me, but they still did not tell me why they were arresting me,” she lamented.
“I was also pressured to write a statement, but they refused to disclose what charges I was facing. The entire ordeal left me feeling threatened and even triggered a heart attack.”
“I am just a nurse who hates seeing patients suffer because of SHA” she added.
Njoki stated that after her arrest, she was taken to three different locations before being held overnight at Capital Hill Police Station ahead of her arraignment.
Her arrest was later confirmed by officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), who stated that Njoki was tracked to Hombe Road, off Juja Road, and apprehended for allegedly causing a disturbance.
The incident has sparked public debate over the treatment of individuals in police custody and the need for transparency in the handling of arrests.
