The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has approved and filed terrorism charges against 37 individuals accused of orchestrating coordinated attacks on government installations in Kikuyu and Matuu, in Kenya.
The suspects, including 25 individuals from Kikuyu in Kiambu County and 10 from Matuu in Machakos County, were arraigned before the Kahawa Law Courts in Nairobi.
The charges stem from violent incidents that occurred on June 25, 2025, where critical government facilities were vandalized, torched, and in some instances, officers were assaulted.
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Among the government facilities damaged in Kikuyu are the Probation Offices, Law Courts, Sub-County Offices, the Chief’s Office, Education Office, Registrar of Persons, Sub-County Accountant’s Office, Registrar of Lands, Dagoretti Police Post, and the Deputy County Commissioner’s Office.
The Matuu incident similarly targeted a police station, destroying property and assaulting law enforcement officers.
The suspects are being charged under provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Act, alongside counts of arson and malicious property damage.
The prosecution noted that the gravity of the acts — including the scale of destruction and assault on state institutions — warranted charges under anti-terror laws.
Two of the accused, identified as Peter Kinyanjui Wanjiru (alias Kawanjiru) and Serah Wanjiku Thiga, were charged alongside the Kikuyu group, following what the DPP described as an “independent and evidence-based” review of investigation files.
Notably, the prosecution dismissed claims that Peter and Serah had been unlawfully abducted after a bail ruling in Ruiru Law Courts, clarifying that they had not been formally charged at that time and were held under a lawful custodial order.
In court, defense lawyers pushed back, seeking to block the terrorism charges and arguing that the charges are disproportionate and risk criminalizing legitimate protest. The defense asserted that the charges amount to state overreach targeting demonstrators.
However, the prosecution countered that the charges were not politically motivated or aimed at peaceful protesters.
“These are not charges against demonstrators. These are charges against individuals alleged to have committed terrorist acts by intentionally destroying public infrastructure and endangering lives,” the state prosecutor told the court.
The presiding magistrate, Hon. Gideon Kiaga, declined to release the suspects on bond, directing that they remain in custody until Thursday, July 10, 2025, when the court will rule on the application to bar the DPP from pursuing terrorism charges.
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