A 34-year-old man has been taken to court in Kirinyaga County after he was accused of sending threatening messages to Mwea Member of Parliament, Mary Maingi.
The case was heard at Wang’uru Law Courts on Monday, April 14, where he was charged under the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act.
According to the court documents, the man allegedly used WhatsApp to send a threatening message to the MP on March 27, 2025. The message, sent from his personal phone, was reportedly harmful and intended to intimidate or scare the MP.
The court stated, “On March 27, 2025, in an undisclosed location within Kenya, you knowingly sent a threatening WhatsApp message from your number to Mary Maingi’s number, fully aware that it could cause her harm.”
The accused pleaded not guilty and was released on a bond of Ksh100,000 or an alternative cash bail of Ksh30,000. The case is scheduled to be mentioned again on April 28, and the full hearing will take place on July 28.
This case adds to a growing number of similar incidents in Kenya, especially in recent times when the personal contact details of several prominent politicians have been leaked online.
These leaks have resulted in citizens using social media platforms to express their frustrations, sometimes crossing legal boundaries.
During the Gen Z-led protests in June 2024, numerous lawmakers who supported the controversial Finance Bill 2024 found their phone numbers exposed on the internet.
Many Kenyans, particularly the youth, were urged to “send greetings” to these politicians — a phrase that quickly became a way to confront them over their political decisions.
In another high-profile case from November 2024, a university student was charged after he posted false information about President William Ruto on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
The post falsely claimed that the President had died, and it included a digitally altered image showing a coffin draped in the Kenyan flag being carried by uniformed military officers — a scene meant to resemble a state burial.
Court documents noted that this offense allegedly took place on November 13, 2024, at an unspecified location within Kenya.
The student’s case brought attention to the growing misuse of AI and digital platforms to spread fake news and offensive imagery targeting national leaders.
This incident was followed by a worrying trend of forced disappearances involving Kenyans who used AI to create controversial and often disturbing images of politicians. Among the most talked-about cases was that of popular cartoonist Kibet Bull.
His dark-themed silhouettes depicting President Ruto and his allies gained massive attention online. However, his fame turned into concern after he mysteriously disappeared.
Though he was later released, the full story behind his arrest and the events surrounding his disappearance remains unclear and continues to spark public interest.
These events have raised serious concerns about digital freedom, responsible online conduct, and the balance between freedom of expression and respecting the law in Kenya’s fast-changing digital environment.
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