This archive report was first published on 21 April 2020.
On April 18, 2020, gospel artiste Eko Dydda's life took an unexpected turn when he was arrested during the COVID-19 curfew. His wife, Sylvia Dydda, recounts the events that led to his forced quarantine.
According to Sylvia, Eko had gone to buy medicine for her, as she suffers from high blood pressure and a high heart pulse that has led to facial palsy and other complications affecting her mobility. However, his car got a puncture, and he was arrested and taken to Kilimani Police Station.
As reported by Sylvia, Eko was initially taken to the cells, but after getting out, he received calls from police to return and record a statement. He was then taken to an isolation center at KMTC, where he was among approximately 200 people.
On Tuesday, April 21, 2020, Police Spokesman Charles Owino announced that police would not detain those arrested for traffic and petty offenses, aiming to decongest police cells and prevent the spread of coronavirus. However, Eko's case seems to contradict this statement.
As per Charles Owino's statement, those arrested would be required to pay instant bonds and fines through cashless means. However, in Eko's case, he was taken to a quarantine center, raising questions about the implementation of this policy.
As Sylvia Dydda shares, 'On Saturday, my medicines ran out and my husband, Eko Dydda, father to our two amazing kids decided to go buy them. He went to a pharmacy near our neighborhood, in the late afternoon, but he couldn’t find the medication. He then decided to drive to Nairobi CBD where he found and bought the medication.'
She further recounts, 'On his way home, he got a puncture at around 6:30pm and by the time he had fixed it, it was about 6:50pm. He continued with the journey home and on reaching Ngong Road, near Coptic Hospital, he found a police road block at around 7:10pm. He was stopped and arrested.'
As reported by Sylvia, the officer manning the Occurrence Book asked if she had money to pay bail for her husband, following which he would be required to appear at Milimani Court on Monday.
