Four Kenyan filmmakers allegedly linked to BBC's Blood Parliament documentary Nicholas Gichuki Wambugu, MarkDenver Karubiu, Brian Adagala and Chris Wamae after their release on Saturday, May 3, 2025. (From L-R).
“I had gone to my friend’s office at around 3 p.m.,” Wambugu recalled.
They spent the afternoon chatting and reviewing old footage. After about 45 minutes, everything changed.
“We heard a knock, so Denver went to open because it is a studio and the door is always locked. Even the knock felt uneasy for him because he was not expecting anyone,” Wambugu narrated.
To their surprise, three men stood outside, identifying themselves as DCI detectives.
Immediate Arrest and Equipment Seizure
Once inside, the officers wasted no time.
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“So they entered and immediately told us that we were arrested,” Wambugu stated. “Of course, they started with, ‘Where is your licence?’ but immediately we realised that there are no issues here.”
The officers then began seizing everything.
“They took all our laptops, hard drives, and phones,” Wambugu said, sounding frustrated.
Detained and Interrogated
The filmmakers were bundled into a police car at around 5 a.m. and driven straight to DCI Headquarters on Kiambu Road.
“So they asked what kind of work I do and I told them I am a filmmaker and a content creator,” he said. “I told them I do content, TV commercials, and after that, they began querying us on whether we have done something that is against the government.”
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Charged with False Publication
Later, the group was split into pairs. Each pair was taken to different police stations—Muthaiga and Pangani. It was at Pangani that Wambugu learned of the charge.
“We realised we had been charged with false publication,” he revealed.
