‘Niko Kadi’ Mobilizer Allans Ademba Arrested in Ol Kalou During By-Election
He did not give more details about why he was arrested or the exact offence he is being accused of at the time of his post.
By Robert Mutasi
Active citizen and well-known ‘Niko Kadi’ mobilizer Allans Ademba has been arrested in Ol Kalou town during the ongoing parliamentary by-election.
Ademba himself confirmed the arrest on his X account. In a short post, he wrote, “I’ve been arrested. Niko Ol Kalou DCI…” He said he had been taken to the Ol Kalou DCI offices.
He did not give more details about why he was arrested or the exact offence he is being accused of at the time of his post.
The arrest happened on a tense day in Ol Kalou, where residents turned out in large numbers to vote for a new Member of Parliament. The seat fell vacant following the death of former MP David Njuguna Kiaraho. The by-election is being closely watched across the country because many people see it as a test of political power in the Mt Kenya region ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Just before his arrest, Ademba had been very active online sharing updates from the ground.
As early as 7:37 am, he shared a video showing long lines of voters queuing at the AC polling station in the morning cold. Residents were wrapped in warm jackets, hats and Maasai shukas to fight the chilly weather as they waited to vote. Polling stations had opened at 6:00 am and are expected to close at 5:00 pm, with everyone already on the queue by closing time allowed to vote.
In another post before his arrest, Ademba claimed that only people who voted in the 2022 General Election were being allowed to vote in this by-election. He said that newly registered voters were being locked out.
He posted, “Ol Kalou residents have turned out in large numbers to vote. NOTE: Only those who voted in 2022 are being allowed to vote. The newly registered voters are not allowed to vote as per the IEBC Rules.”
The IEBC had not immediately responded to that claim by the time of his arrest.
Ademba is not a new name to many Kenyans. He is a photojournalist who became famous in March this year after starting the popular online campaign called #TukoKadi, also known as #NikoKadi. The campaign was a digital mobilization drive to encourage Kenyans, especially young people, to register in large numbers as voters for the 2027 General Election.
On March 17, he led hundreds of residents in Kasarani to the IEBC centre inside the D.O’s office in Kasarani sub-county to register as voters. His action inspired many other young people across the country to do the same, moving the campaign from the internet to the actual IEBC offices.
Police in Ol Kalou have not yet issued an official statement explaining the reason for Ademba’s arrest.
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