Rose Njeri, who was arrested on Friday, May 30, 2025, for designing the anti-Finance Bill 2025 website, has been arraigned in the Milimani High Court and charged with unauthorized interference with a computer system.
According to the charge sheet, Njeri is accused of creating a program that sent mass emails to a parliamentary address.
“On the 19th day of May, 2025, at 20:01 HRS, at an unknown location within the Republic of Kenya, you knowingly made a program hosted at https://civicemail.netlify.app/ that automatically generated and sent mass emails to [email protected], which is the official system of the Finance Committee, thereby interfering with the normal functioning of the systems,” the charge sheet read.
Earlier, Law Society of Kenya President Faith Odhiambo confirmed the whereabouts of Rose Njeri, who was arrested and detained at Pangani Police Station in Nairobi.
In a statement, Faith stated that they found Njeri, who was awaiting to be arraigned in court.
“We can confirm that Rose Njeri has been traced and is awaiting arraignment in Court. We will be present to represent her and secure her release,” read her statement.
The LSK had earlier raised alarm over the whereabouts of Rose Njeri after she was transferred from Pangani police station.
In a video doing rounds on social media, LSK President Faith Odhiambo said that they arrived in the morning and found out that Rose Njeri had been moved from Pangani Police Station.
Odhiambo said she suspected that the police moved Rose Njeri from the station to arraign her in court.
“We ask our LSK members to be vigilant today. We are trying to find out which court she will be presented in, as she was moved from Pangani Police Station early this morning,” said Odhiambo.
LSK Raises Concern Over the Whereabouts of Rose Njeri
Additionally, the LSK President urged the courts to be mindful of Article 50 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to a fair hearing and the right to representation.
Odhiambo also called on citizens to alert the LSK about whichever court Rose will be arraigned in so that she does not appear unrepresented.
Also Read: Profile of Rose Njeri, Woman Arrested for Creating Anti-Finance Bill 2025 Website
Rose Njeri’s arrest has received widespread condemnation from political leaders, activists and civil society groups accusing the government of curtailing the freedom of expression.
On Sunday, June 2, 2025, the former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua called for the immediate release of Rose Njeri, condemning her arrest.
Gachagua Condemns the Software Developer’s Arrest
He stated that this incident reflects an ongoing attack on the youth of the country and an attempt to suppress their courage, innovative spirit, and belief in the power of their own voices.
“Rose Njeri, a young and brilliant software developer, is the latest victim of this repression. Her only ‘crime’ was building an online tool to help ordinary Kenyans send their objections to the Finance Bill 2025. Instead of celebrating her innovation and contribution to civic engagement, the state has chosen to make an example of her,” Gachagua stated.
Also Read: Kenyan Who Built Website to Oppose Finance Bill Arrested
Rose Njeri was arrested on Friday afternoon, May 30, 2025, for creating a website opposing the Finance Bill 2025.
On her website, https://civic-email.vercel.app/, Njeri outlines reasons why Kenyans should reject the Finance Bill 2025. She encourages citizens to forward their emails to the Clerk of the National Assembly and the Finance Committee, expressing concerns about certain clauses within the bill.
Follow our WhatsApp Channel and X Account for real-time news updates.
