‘Patriotism’ at Uhuru tour landed artist in court

For 35-year-old artist Collins Ochieng Obado (pictured), the urge to personally, congratulate President Uhuru Kenyatta for his March 9 2018 handshake with ODM Raila Odinga was more compelling than the fear of the presidential guard around Mombasa’s State House.

Collins had been wielding a larger than life placard bearing a message of peace and supportive of the Uhuru-Raila rapprochement, complete with portraits of the two leaders, for days.

When he learnt that the president was in Mombasa, he visited several newsrooms seeking publicity for his peace message. He felt the press could publish his message in support of the handshake and enable him pass his painting or placard to the president.

But journalists dismissed him and advised him to wait for an opportunity where he would be able to meet the president during his trips in the coastal city. Collins took this advice and positioned next to a restaurant within Mama Ngina Drive, believing the president’s motorcade would pass by. “I was there from 7am to 5pm with my placard and at one time the police sent me away but I came back,” Collins told the Sunday Standard yesterday.

At around 6pm on December 31 last year the president's motorcade passed, and Collins displayed his placard prominently. It is not clear whether the president saw it but no sooner had the motorcade snaked its way into State House than the police pounced on him and took him to the police station.

Collins was held until Wednesday, January 2 when he was charged with breaching peace in violation of Section 95(1)(b) of the Penal Code. The facts as read attracted the attention of Mombasa Senior Resident Magistrate Eric Mutunga who asked State Counsel Shakwila  Ayekha to explain whether the charges amounted to a crime.

“From the charges this man seems to have been spreading a peace message. Do these charges amount to an offence?” asked Magistrate Mutunga. A rights group hailed the magistrate, and accused the police of being overzealous.