According to the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) Kenya findings, poor people are the ones who are mostly randomly arrested in their daily endeavours. This was highlighted at the National Conference on decriminalization and re-classification of petty offences in Kenya. In attendance were ICJ (International Commission of Jurists) Kenya Chair Njonjo Mue and Chief Justice David Maraga.
Speaking during the ICJ conference, Chief Justice David Maraga said that 75% of those in prisons are young men under the age of 35 who could’ve been very productive people but ended up in prisons because of petty offences. According to findings, 33% of women are in for petty offences.
He said that the Judiciary is alive to challenges faced by potential and actual petty offenders, most of whom are poor.
CJ Maraga, however, said that police should be educated on who to arrest, giving an example of night arrests, “Not everyone who walks at night is a criminal,” he said, adding that he once was a victim of the same.
The Chief Justice reiterated the importance of charge sheets in cases, “Police should not bring offenders to court until they provide their charge sheets,” he said.