Former Runyenjes MP Njeru Kathangu recounts torture at Nyayo House after 1990 Saba Saba protests

Kathangu stated that police arrested him on July 11, 1990, four days after the pro-democracy rally, while he was with other political figures in Nairobi. He was held incommunicado and subjected to mistreatment in the basement cells of Nyayo House before being charged with treason. Kathangu recalled being taken to a facility called Nyati, where he was pushed into a room containing pythons, which he later realized were behind glass.

He endured 15 days of torture, including his head being slammed against a wall, being locked in a waterlogged cell, and being whipped, resulting in multiple blisters. Kathangu was released in 1992 after sustained pressure on the Moi administration. He also warned that new detention and torture facilities have been established across Kenya, including in forests, Karen, and Karura.

He urged police officers to recognize their shared identity with ordinary Kenyans and advocated for the reinstatement and rehabilitation of families whose relatives were tortured.