How lawyer Memba Muriuki was arrested and beaten up at Dusit Hotel in a case of mistaken identity

How Nairobi lawyer was arrested and beaten up at Dusit Hotel in a case of mistaken identity

Tony Mukere

January 17, 2019 4:52 PM

He had responded to help civilians

How lawyer Memba Muriuki was arrested and beaten up at Dusit Hotel in a case of mistaken identity

The Dusit terror attack had many victims who were affected in different ways.

The most affected, without a doubt, are the families and friends of the 21 people who were killed in the most brutal way.

There are also those who were wounded physically and emotionally and will have to send the coming weeks, months, and even years in some cases to come to terms with the terror incident.

The third class of victims are those who were arrested and beaten up in a case of mistaken identity.

How lawyer Memba Muriuki was arrested and beaten up at Dusit Hotel in a case of mistaken identity Pulse Live Kenya

Nairobi lawyer and businessman Memba Muriuki is among those fell victim to the crisis ensued in the first minutes of the events that followed the bombing of Dusit Hotel.

Muriuki was in Riverside area when the Al Shabaab raised the Dusit complex, and decided to offer assistance.

However, he found himself on the wrong side after he was arrested by members of the security forces and quickly bundled in to a police vehicle.

Fortunately, the senior officers at the police station where he was taken recognized him and was freed shortly after.

The trauma was not over as Kenyans on social media continued to share photos of his arrest, thus risking his safety by suggesting he was a terror suspect.

The lawyer spoke to Africa Censored and clarified the events at Riverside Drive, saying he was not a suspect in the terror incident.

Bryson Mwamburi

Bryson Mwamburi is another person who found escaped the terrorists and later joined in the rescue of civilians at the Dusit Complex.

He was arrested on suspicion of being part of the attackers and having lost his documents in the melee, was unable to provide identification documents.

His arrest led to the #freebrysonmwamburi hashtag where Kenyans on social media pressed on the government to release him.

He was released after being held incommunicado for several hours.

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