Tech world outraged over arrest of Kenyan software developer

A Kenyan software developer, Rose Njeri, was arraigned in court on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, and released on bail after being arrested for creating an online tool that allowed citizens to voice opposition to a proposed finance law.

Her detention has provoked widespread outrage and highlighted increasing repression in Kenya and across East Africa.

Njeri was charged on Tuesday under Kenya’s Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act with “unauthorised interference with a computer system.”

According to prosecutors, her tool allowed users to automatically send emails to the national assembly’s finance committee.

They claimed that this disrupted the normal operation of their systems.

Her program, announced in a May 19 post on social media platform X, enabled users to easily submit objections to the proposed Finance Bill 2025 by simply clicking a link.

Shortly after the announcement, police arrested Njeri at her home in Nairobi last Friday.

Authorities also confiscated her electronic devices, sparking immediate public backlash.

Her arrest triggered condemnation from across the political spectrum, civil society organizations, and ordinary Kenyans.

Many of them saw it as an attack on freedom of expression and civic participation.

On Sunday, activists and family members protested outside the police station where she was being held.

Among them was prominent activist Boniface Mwangi, who criticized the government’s actions.

“Imagine having to tell her children that she’s in jail for developing a website that eases public participation for Kenyans who want to submit their proposals on the 2025 budget,” he said.

Amnesty International Kenya also condemned Njeri’s detention.

Executive Director Irũngũ Houghton issued a statement declaring that her rights had been repeatedly violated.

He warned that any possibility of a fair trial was already compromised.

Njeri’s digital tool was created in response to the proposed Finance Bill 2025, which outlines a series of tax changes aimed at boosting government revenue.

However, analysts warn that the new tax policies could significantly increase the financial burden on ordinary Kenyans and reduce their disposable income.

A similar finance bill last year provoked mass protests across Kenya.

Those demonstrations, unprecedented in recent years, were met with deadly force from security forces, resulting in dozens of deaths.

Many protesters disappeared, and critics increasingly faced abductions.

Although the public demonstrations eventually waned, reports of targeted violence against online activists and dissenters have continued.

Njeri’s case is seen by many as part of a broader crackdown on dissent not just in Kenya but across East Africa.

Regional governments are being increasingly criticized for using harsh measures to silence opposition voices.

Two weeks ago, former Kenyan Chief Justice Willy Mutunga, along with activists Hanifa Adan and Hussein Khalid, were deported from Tanzania.

They had traveled there to attend a treason hearing for Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu.

Two additional individuals, Boniface Mwangi and Ugandan lawyer Agather Atuhaire, who were also in Tanzania for the court hearing, later reported that they had been sexually assaulted by Tanzanian security officials.

In response to these incidents, the Police Reforms Working Group, urged both regional bodies and the international community to hold Tanzanian authorities accountable.

The Police Reforms Working Group is a coalition of Kenyan human rights organizations,

They demanded justice for the reported torture and sexual assaults carried out against Mwangi and Atuhaire.

The coalition, joined by the Law Society of Kenya, addressed the media in Nairobi, emphasizing that such acts constitute serious violations under international human rights law.

“Torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment are serious crimes under multiple treaties and international law,” the coalition stated, calling for immediate action.

Meanwhile, in neighboring Uganda, repression has intensified as well.

Opposition leader Kizza Besigye remains in jail on treason charges after six months in detention.

Last month, Ugandan lawmakers passed a controversial bill that permits civilians to be tried in military courts.

This move is widely seen as another attempt to stifle dissent and undermine the rule of law.

Rose Njeri’s arrest and the broader regional developments reflect a troubling trend of governments using legal systems and state power to clamp down on public participation, digital activism, and political opposition.

The backlash to her detention highlights a growing demand across East Africa for greater respect for civil liberties and democratic freedoms.

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