A police officer has testified in court in a case where political commentator Nuru Maloba Okanga is accused of publishing threatening and defamatory content online, including remarks allegedly urging former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua to shoot President William Ruto.
Appearing before a Nairobi court, Police Constable Milton Mwanzi told the magistrate that he was instructed to arrest Okanga on June 11, 2024. The officer explained that he received information from his senior officers that Okanga had been spotted in the Tassia area of Embakasi, Nairobi, shortly after a controversial video began circulating on social media.
According to the officer, the viral video showed Okanga addressing a crowd, calling on Gachagua who was Deputy President at the time—to use his experience as a former District Commissioner to silence the Head of State. The officer said his team tracked Okanga and arrested him moments after he entered a barber shop at B Centre, before escorting him to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations headquarters for interrogation.
During cross-examination, defence lawyers questioned the officer on whether he was aware who the complainant in the case was. Mwanzi admitted that he did not know and suggested that only the investigating officer could provide that answer.
The charge sheet indicates that Okanga faces multiple counts under the Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act. He is accused of knowingly publishing false and threatening information between June 7 and June 10, 2024, using social media platforms including TikTok and YouTube under the accounts “Riba News” and “Siasa TV KE.” One of the videos allegedly carried the caption, “Nuru Okanga Rigathi Gachagua Piga Ruto Risasi.”
Prosecutors argue that these statements were deliberately calculated to cause fear, panic, and undermine the reputation of Kenya’s executive leadership. In a second count, the accused is said to have posted another video on June 12, 2024, under the caption “Pilot wa Ruto adungwe shindani.”
Okanga is also facing a third count of providing telecommunication services without a valid licence, contrary to the Kenya Information and Communication Act. The court heard that his publication of videos through online platforms was in contravention of licensing provisions.
The hearing was adjourned, with the magistrate directing that the remaining prosecution witnesses must attend court without fail. The case will resume on October 2, 2025.
