University Student Charged for Spreading False Information About President Ruto
A university student has been arraigned in court over a controversial post on X (formerly Twitter) involving President William Ruto.
The student is accused of sharing an image that falsely implied the transportation of the President’s body. According to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), the post featured a photo of a casket draped in the Kenyan flag, carried by military officers in ceremonial attire.
Additionally, the suspect allegedly altered the date on the post to make it appear more credible, further fueling the spread of the misinformation.
ALSO READ: DCI Clarifies Reports That 2 Men Were Arrested for Breaking Into State House and Slept on Ruto’s Bed
“The offence is said to have been committed on November 13, 2024, at an unknown location within the Republic of Kenya,” a statement from the Office of The Director Of Public Prosecutions said.
The suspect is also alleged to have manipulated the date on the post to enhance its credibility. These actions reportedly violated The Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act No. 5 of 2018, which prohibits the dissemination of false information online.
ALSO READ: Kenyan Football Coach Sentenced to Life in Prison, Plus an Additional 110 Years
According to the act, “A person who intentionally publishes false, misleading or fictitious data or misinforms with the intent that the data shall be considered or acted upon as authentic, with or without any financial gain, commits an offence and shall, on conviction, be liable to a fine not exceeding KSh5million or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years.
Mokaya AKA Landlord, Defends Himself in Court
The student, appearing before Senior Principal Magistrate Benmark Ekhumbi, pleaded not guilty to the charges. The court granted him a bond of KSh 100,000, with an alternative cash bail of KSh 50,000.
A review revealed that the suspect is a prominent figure on X (formerly Twitter), where he has frequently criticized the Kenya Kwanza government in his posts.
After spending four days in custody, some of his colleagues raised the KSh 50,000 cash bail to secure his release. The case is scheduled for mention on December 4.
This incident comes just weeks after another influencer, Francis Gaitho, faced legal trouble for allegedly spreading false information. Gaitho was accused of wrongly implicating an innocent man in the Kware killings.
