Come and See What Prof Joel Ngugi has done: A Tale of old memories in the Oscar Sudi Bail Ruling

Abstract

Why reflect on memories when they hurt? Why think of the bad things of the past when you have today to live? In his Sonnet 30, Shakespeare speaks of regrets, disappointments and missed opportunities. He speaks of unpleasant memories and the things that he sought to have but he does not have. The tone of the poem can be described as dark and that of a person who is mourning and, in this case, for the things that he hoped to have but he does not have. Today, the Oscar Sudi bail ‘drama’ forces us to reflect on our old memories as a country. The Magistrate Bail ruling reminds us of our old scars that we hoped to heal through the 2010 constitution. But just like Shakespeare, Charles Rubia, Matiba, Gitobu, Seroney, Koigi, Shikuku, Ayoma and others, the Sudi’s bail drama reminds them of the infamous Nyayo Chambers and Mwakenya cases. The Magistrate bail ruling reminds us of the past that was marked with detention without trial, pre-trial incarcerations and the weaponization of criminal law.