This archive report was first published on 21 April 2020.
On Saturday, April 18, 2020, gospel artiste Eko Dydda was put into forced quarantine after his wife, Sylvia, recorded a video of police harassing them.
Sylvia, who has been unwell since January with high blood pressure and a high heart pulse, was in need of medication. Eko decided to go buy the medication for her, but their problems began when he was stopped and arrested by police at a roadblock on Ngong Road near Coptic Hospital.
According to Sylvia, Eko was arrested while driving home with the medication. The police had commissioned a breakdown truck and were towing cars that violated the curfew to Kilimani Police Station. Eko's car was also towed, and he was booked into the cells.
Sylvia, who was unable to walk properly, went to the police station with the help of a neighbor to bail out her husband. However, she was asked to pay Ksh5,000 in cash, which she did. The officer then told her to go outside and wait for an hour before returning to collect the receipt.
When Sylvia returned, she was given a receipt and told to pay the towing fees to the breakdown vehicle operators. However, the officer who had issued the bail told her that the bail had been cancelled by the boss, and she had to take back her money.
Eko was then taken to a quarantine centre at KMTC, where he was told that he would have to pay Ksh28,000. The police officers who had taken him there told Sylvia that Eko had paid them Ksh10,000 and insisted on a receipt.
Sylvia has since spoken out about the incident, calling for justice and accusing the police of harassment and corruption.
