A Nairobi court has freed 16 boda boda riders who were arrested in connection to the attack of a female motorist along Forest Road.

The 16 were arrested in connection to the sexual assault on a female motorist on March 4, 2022, following an uproar from members of the public who saw the video clip and termed the action by boda boda operators as barbaric.

The incident led to the arrest of about 299 boda boda operators in a countrywide crackdown that was ordered by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

The court set the 16 free after the prosecution could not find sufficient evidence that linked them to the crime after spending the past 17 days in police custody.

However, the prime suspect, who is considered the mastermind of the attack Zachariah Obadiah Nyaora was not set free.

Nyaora will be charged with three counts; robbery with violence, indecent act with an adult and malicious damage to property.

He stands accused of robbing the woman of foreign nationality now identified as Tafadzwa Esthan Chiposi of her mobile phone worth Sh130,000.

Nyaora is also accused of touching the bosom and private parts of Chiposi without her consent.

The suspect is also being charged with causing malicious damage to the door handle of Chiposi’s car.

Nyaore was arrested on March 14, 2022 afternoon, at the Kenya-Tanzania border in Sirare while trying to flee the country.

According to section 296 (2) of the Penal Code, Nyaora faces a serious sentence from life imprisonment to death if found guilty.