After being detained for his cost of living protests on Tuesday, comedian Eric Omondi and 17 others have been released on bond.
Appearing at the Milimani Law Courts, on Wednesday the group entered a not-guilty plea for causing a public nuisance and participating in an unlawful assembly.
The court granted the protesters a Sh20,000 bond or an alternative bail of Sh10,000 each.
The demonstrators wanted the parliament to pass legislation to combat the rising inflation, which has driven millions of Kenyans to the brink of starvation due to skyrocketing food prices.
The protest was staged on Parliament Road in Nairobi.
Their lawyer, Danstan Omari, argued that they were national heroes who were fighting for a noble cause. He said that they went to parliament to seek a solution on behalf of six million Kenyans who are at risk of starvation. He urged the court to take judicial notice of their plight.
“Your honour, my clients are youths and content creators, they have no stable source of income, if it pleases this court kindly be lenient to the them,” Lawyer Omari said.
“Allow them to go home so that they can continue to entertain us on TV,” Omari added.
The case will be mentioned on March 6 for pre-trial.
The protesters were arrested on Tuesday by police officers who used tear gas to disperse them. They were taken to Central Police Station in Nairobi and held overnight.
Kenya’s high cost of living has long been a source of concern, with many families struggling to make ends meet. The government has blamed rising inflation on global economic factors and drought, but critics say it has done nothing to address the issue.
