Content creator and entrepreneur Kakan Maiyo has been released on a cash bail of Ksh.10,000 after spending two nights in custody at Muthaiga Police Station. Initially slated to appear in Milimani court, Maiyo was instead returned to the station, facing accusations of incitement and spreading alarming content targeting law enforcement officers and their families.
The charges stem from videos posted on his TikTok account, in which Maiyo is alleged to have made inflammatory remarks critical of police actions, particularly around enforced disappearances and state brutality. One of his most widely circulated videos includes a stern warning to security officers, stating that some may not return home from future operations—statements that authorities have interpreted as incitement.
Following his release, Maiyo revealed that his mobile phone was confiscated during interrogation, and that authorities questioned whether he was part of a larger group. “They wanted to know whether I am acting in a group but I told them that those were my personal views,” he said.
His legal team has strongly dismissed the allegations, terming them baseless and lacking merit. “The allegations were neither here nor there,” said lawyer Phillip Maiyo. “Kan is a man of God and he was doing the Lord’s work.”
Family members have also spoken out, with his uncle Peter Kakan calling for a national dialogue. “My prayer to the President is that we have a national conversation so that everyone knows his role,” he said.
Kakan Maiyo has built a sizable online following for his bold commentary on government accountability and human rights, often addressing issues such as police misconduct while simultaneously promoting his logistics business.
His arrest has sparked debate online, particularly after a video surfaced showing what appeared to be plainclothes officers forcefully detaining him in a hallway.
As the case develops, it raises broader questions about freedom of expression, digital activism, and the line between criticism and incitement in Kenya’s shifting political and social landscape.
