Friday, May 30, 2025 - A Kenyan university student appeared in court on Thursday, May 29, facing charges of publishing false information after allegedly posting a fake image suggesting that President William Ruto had died. The case, seen by critics as part of a broader crackdown on dissent, stems from a social media post by 24-year-old David Mokaya featuring a photo of a funeral procession with the caption, “President William Ruto’s Body leaves Lee Funeral Home.”
Mokaya’s arrest late last year followed a wave of government
repression targeting critics, particularly after widespread protests in June
over tax increases and corruption. Rights groups say at least 60 people were
killed during the demonstrations, with dozens more reportedly abducted by
security forces in the aftermath.
At the hearing held at Nairobi’s Milimani Law Courts, the
proceedings were swiftly adjourned until July 31. Mokaya’s lawyer, Ian Mutiso,
described the case as an assault on freedom of expression, arguing that his
client was engaging in legitimate political satire and criticism of the
president.
“Our client was taking the right… as a citizen of Kenya to
express his political opinions, express political satire… and also criticise
the head of state,” Mutiso told AFP. “Political satire is not a crime. The case
is very flimsy.”
The charges against Mokaya echo other recent incidents in
Kenya, where at least five people reportedly went missing in December after
sharing satirical or digitally altered content involving the president. Two of
them had posted AI-generated images depicting Ruto in a coffin. Another critic,
cartoonist Gideon Kibet, also known as Kibet Bull, halted his satirical work
after allegedly being abducted.
Human rights organizations have attributed these
disappearances to a covert unit composed of intelligence and counter-terrorism
operatives. While the government and police have denied involvement, President
Ruto recently acknowledged the disappearances at a press conference, saying,
“All the people who disappeared or who were abducted… have been brought back to
their families… and I have given clarity and firm instructions that nothing of
that kind of nature will happen again.”
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