Tweeting from prison in Kenya

Tweeting from prison in Kenya

• Kenya

The activist known as "Modern Kenyan Corps" (right) tweeted while in custody at Ruiru police station this weekend, including this selfie with visiting activist Cyprian Nyakundi (photo: Twitter)

The man behind the alias “Modern Kenyan Corps” worked as a prison warden in Kenya but doubled as an activist, using social media to expose corruption from within the Kenyan security forces. On Friday, however, he was arrested on suspicions of graft. Yet, despite the fact that he was going from prison warden to prisoner, Modern Corps remained an activist: he managed to live tweet his arrest and his experience while being held in deplorable conditions at Ruiru Police station. Activists who visited him also contributed photos and tweets about the case and conditions of the cell.

Until he was arrested, few people knew the identity of the man behind “Modern Kenyan Corps” and several exposés of corrupt, high-ranking police officers. However, all of that changed Friday, May 22. In the morning, Modern Corps—whose real name is Patrick Safari—tweeted about a summons he had received.