Alai: My relatives have been barred from visiting me in prison
Blogger Robert Alai has claimed the authorities have barred his relatives and lawyers from visiting him while he is in prison.
The controversial blogger was arrested on Friday and spent the weekend in police cells and is expected to be charged with violation of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act on Monday.
Police said he would be charged with spreading fake news in relation to the coronavirus pandemic after he claimed the government was hiding deaths resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Relatives of Robert Alai have been denied access to him at Muthaiga Police station,” read a message on his official Twitter handle.
Alai also appealed to human rights actors to intervene to have his kin access him and to ensure he accesses legal aid to guarantee him justice in court.
“Amnesty Kenya, is it not a suspect’s right to be visited by counsel and relatives?” posed a tweet on his verified twitter handle.
Despite his arrest, Alai maintained that the government was economical with the truth on the extent of the pandemic in the country but failed to provide any evidence to back this allegation.
He will be arraigned in Nairobi on Monday.