On 17 June 2019 Robert Alai was arrested in Nairobi and detained for 14 days for sharing gory photos of police officers who were killed by an IED attack in Wajir . In the wake of the Westgate shopping mall attack in Nairobi where over 65 people were killed , Alai was praised , both by local and international media for his timely and creative use of social media , mainly Twitter , to provide updates of what was happening at the mall . In a world of virtual media shut down by a government keen to spin the narrative to its own public image purposes , Alai virtually became the go-to person for the alternative , more accurate view . He was constant in his tweeting , all day and night long , reporting each and every significant happening . His accounts were considered as being more accurate than - and sometimes contradicting - the updates provided by the authorities
Westgate shopping mall attack
Westgate shopping mall attack
Robert Alai