Teacher May Face Ten Years in Prison or Pay Sh5 Million Fine for Impersonating President Ruto
A secondary school educator may potentially face a prison sentence of up to ten years or a fine of Sh5 million following allegations of impersonating President William Ruto on social media.
The individual in question has been identified as Titus Wekesa Sifuna; he reportedly created an account on X (formerly Twitter) utilizing the President’s likeness and operated under the moniker ‘I Must Go’ with the username @Thief_5th.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) asserts that Sifuna employed the account to criticize and disparage the Head of State and his family in multiple messages.
The messages were classified as inflammatory, which has the potential to incite public unrest.
The postings are alleged to have stirred significant controversy in the online realm, triggering alarms regarding national security.
According to law enforcement authorities, it is believed that the offense committed by Sifuna is considered a violation under the Mukhyia of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act No. 5 of 2018.
Section 23 of this legislation prohibits the intentional publication of false or misleading information that causes public disturbance or inflicts reputational harm.
Should Sifuna be convicted, he shall be subject to a substantial financial penalty, in addition to a lengthy term of incarceration, or both.
The detectives elucidated that the suspect was pinpointed via a mobile number that had been utilized for certain advertisements and subsequently linked to the same social media account.
The number provided investigators with a digital trace that ultimately culminated in the apprehension of Sifuna on April 18 in Bungoma County.
Further investigations additionally indicated that an Umbrella Trex Solution company was associated with the teacher.
Law enforcement officials additionally disclosed that the educator spends a considerable amount of time in Kwale County, where he is reported to engage in volunteer activities, although he has yet to be located residing in that area.
This, they contended, renders him a potential flight risk.
The prosecution seeks to have Sifuna held for an additional seven days at the Capitol Hill police station to facilitate ongoing investigations. Authorities intend to scrutinize his digital devices and request X to cooperatively furnish records of account activity.
A decision concerning the request for his extended detention is anticipated on Wednesday.
This situation has sparked renewed discourse on the issue of freedom of expression and the legality surrounding online comments pertaining to public figures.