Filmmakers Behind BBC’s ‘Blood Parliament’ Arrested in Nairobi Amid Outcry Over Police Killings
Four filmmakers behind the controversial BBC documentary Blood Parliament were arrested in Nairobi on Saturday, May 3, 2025, amid growing public outrage over police brutality during the Gen Z-led anti-tax protests of June 2024. The arrests are being widely viewed as a crackdown on press freedom and a move to suppress investigations into state-sanctioned violence.
Chris Wamae, Nicholas Gichuki, Brian Adagala, and Mark Karubiu were reportedly taken from their studio in Karen in a pre-dawn operation and are currently detained at Muthaiga and Pangani police stations.
The BBC Africa Eye documentary, released earlier this week, sheds light on the extrajudicial killings of unarmed protesters, focusing on the death of University of Nairobi finance student Eric Shieni. According to the BBC, over 150 images and videos were reviewed, identifying the alleged officer behind the fatal shooting, purportedly a member of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF)—a claim the KDF has since denied.
The documentary has ignited fierce debate nationwide, with Kenyans demanding accountability from security forces. The government’s abrupt cancellation of a public screening of the film earlier this week only added fuel to the fire. “The screening was stopped at the last minute under pressure from the government,” the BBC confirmed in a statement.
Activists and human rights groups, including Amnesty Kenya, have condemned the arrests and the suppression of the documentary. “This is an attack on freedom of expression and the right to information,” said a spokesperson for the organisation.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) and the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) have faced mounting pressure to fast-track investigations into the killings. Lawmakers such as Manyatta MP Gitonga Mukunji have also called for justice and compensation for the victims’ families.
Despite promises by the government to investigate the deaths from last year’s protests, there have been no major developments or arrests of implicated officers. The lack of accountability has sparked fears that the country is sliding further into a climate of media censorship and state intimidation.
With the documentary continuing to circulate online and public discourse intensifying, the arrests are unlikely to silence the calls for justice. Instead, they may have amplified them.
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Filmmakers Behind BBC’s ‘Blood Parliament’ Arrested in Nairobi Amid Outcry Over Police Killings