Activist Maina Kiai during a past KHRC press briefing at Lavington, Nairobi. [Photo|Olive Burrow]Activist Maina Kiai was on Sunday, reportedly briefly detained at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), on his way to the US.The former UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly, was blocked from traveling, after immigration officers demanded that he gets travel clearance before they could stamp his passport.Kiai who is also a board member at the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) was held for upto two-hours after which Director of Immigration Services Gordon Kihalangwa intervened, allowing him to travel.Human rights organisations have condemned the incident, with Khelef Khalifa of Muslims for Human Rights (MUHURI) saying it was not a coincidence but a deliberate attempt to silence persons who criticise the government over 'poor leadership'.Few days ago, the NGO Board, led by CEO Fazul Muhamed ordered the shut down of KHRC and AfriCOG over alleged failure to comply with statutory obligations.Kiai and other leaders from the organisations dismissed the allegations, and accused the government of suppressing rights groups.However, Kihalangwa dismissed Kiai's detention reports, and told the Star that he was only taken through routine security checks that every person traveling out of the country, is subjected to.

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