Omtatah arrested for skipping court

Activist Okiya Omtatah during an interview with The Standard. [DAVID NJAAGA/STANDARD]

An activist was arrested on Thursday at the Milimani law courts for failing to appear before a magistrate in the same precincts.

Detectives picked up Okiya Omtatah after Chief Magistrate Francis Andayi issued a warrant for his arrest for failing to appear before him in a criminal case facing him and 32 other persons.

The activist and his co-accused were arrested in June 2011 for locking up the offices of the then Education minister, Sam Ongeri, who is now the Kisii senator, to protest at the theft of Sh4.8 billion meant for free primary education.

Omtatah, who was being held at Kilimani Police Station, said in a statement that since the court had not sat by 10am, he had told the prosecutor to inform the magistrate that he had gone to attend another case and that he would be back.