Police in Nakuru County have come under fire after allegedly using unethical tactics to arrest 33-year-old social media personality May Jerono over a Facebook post.
According to reports, police, who were on the hunt for Jerono, resorted to seeking out the social media personality’s mother at her school to coerce the suspect to surrender to authorities.
Jerono’s mother, Census Ruto, a primary school teacher at Athinai Primary School in Nakuru narrated what she described as a humiliating and traumatic ordeal which saw police officers storm her classroom while she was teaching and allegedly forced her out in front of pupils and colleagues.
The mother claimed the officers made her sit on the floor and confiscated her phone, leaving her shocked and confused.
Popular social media influencer May Jerono
Photo
Citizen TV
“They came into the school and harassed me badly in front of my students and fellow teachers… they even forcefully took the phone I had… I was just shocked and kept asking why, and they told me I would find out later,” she recounted.
The ordeal reportedly continued when she was taken to Kaptembwo Police Station for charges she says were never clearly explained to her. She described feeling intimidated and humiliated throughout the process, saying she struggled to understand why she was being targeted over her daughter’s alleged social media post.
“On arriving at the police station, shortly after my daughter came in, they started refusing to let us even speak to each other… they even ransacked her house everywhere,” she said, alleging that officers also searched her daughter’s home.
Jerono has since confirmed her release in the early hours of Sunday through a video shared on her social media platforms, assuring her followers that she was safe after spending hours in police custody. Her brief but emotional message immediately drew reactions from supporters who had been demanding answers about her whereabouts.
“Thank you, I am safe. Shout out to all my Facebook friends, I thank you so much. To my enemies, I am loved ; you saw it yourselves. I’m so overwhelmed, I just wanted to say thank you. I’m at home, I’m safe. I just want to rest, then tomorrow I will tell you all what really happened,” she said.
She explained that her phone had been confiscated during the arrest, preventing her from updating her followers. According to Jerono, she had been released as early as 10:00 am but experienced delays due to other processes and the five-hour journey from Kitale back to Nakuru.
“They took my phone, which is why I was unable to update anything from yesterday. But I was released very early, around 10:00 am… I had to travel from Kitale to Nakuru. That is why I took long,” she said, adding that she intends to acquire a new phone and may not use the confiscated device even if it is returned.
The incident has attracted condemnation from political leaders, including People’s Liberation Party leader Martha Karua, who criticised the police over what she described as coercive tactics. Karua said arresting a mother to pressure her daughter was unacceptable and criminal.
Jerono, speaking through her lawyer, claimed she was picked up by plain-clothed officers without a clear explanation and transported to Kitale before being released. Her lawyer termed the arrest unprocedural and argued that the Facebook post in question did not amount to a criminal offence.
The family maintains that the incident has caused significant emotional distress and is demanding investigations into the conduct of the officers involved. They argue that the events reflect a worrying pattern of intimidation tied to online expression.
A police car at a crime scene in Kenya.
Photo
NPS