Blogger Robert Alai Arrested for Posting Gory Photos of Cops Killed in Wajir IED Attack

Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have arrested controversial blogger Robert Alai.

Alai was arrested on Tuesday morning for allegedly posting on social media gory photos of Kenyan police officers killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) attack in Wajir on Saturday morning.

The 11 Administration Police officers were killed after the vehicle they were traveling in ran over the landmine planted on the road near Konton in Wajir County.

The security officers were reportedly pursuing suspected Al-Shabaab militants who kidnapped three National Police Reservists (NPRs) after attacking a village on Wednesday.

Alai was driven to DCI headquarters on Kiambu Road for questioning.

His arrest comes just a day after police spokesperson Charles Owino condemned posting of photos of the fatally injured officers on social media.

“As we mourn our fallen heroes, posting of their pictures online by one blogger is very unfortunate, inhuman, glorifies terror and is tantamount to supporting terrorism. This is indeed the lowest we can go. We condemn this act in the strongest terms possible,” said Owino in a statement.

Somalia-based terrorist group Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack.

“The issue here is not about @RobertAlai posting those photos, for me it’s about the risks we’re putting our officers in terror-prone zones. We spent millions on armored cars which turns out to be substandard given how they’re always blown up. This is the real issue,” Alai tweeted after Owino’s statement.

He added:“I will continue to speak out for the poor police officers who are neglected, and their allowances taken by “wakubwa.” We must give our men and women who die wearing uniform, respect, dignity, and honor they deserve. We shouldn’t treat our cops like dogs. I am angry!!”

Activist Boniface Mwangi supported Alai by questioning how the bodies of the slain officers were ferried.

“It is immoral and criminal for the government to transport bodies of dead officers like trash. There were no body bags, not even bedsheets to cover their bodies. The question is, where are the 30 armored vehicles President Uhuru Kenyatta posed with in 2017?” Mwangi tweeted.