The hearing of the cybercrime case against social media influencer Scophine Aoko Otieno, known as Maverick Aoko, resumed on June 26, 2025, at the Milimani Law Courts before Magistrate Dolphina Alego. Aoko is facing charges related to publishing false and harmful information through her social media platform, ‘X’, with the state alleging that her posts targeted specific individuals with the intent to instill fear and damage reputations.
The court heard testimony from Sergeant Norah Shidi, who described the events leading to Aoko’s arrest on August 16, 2024. Acting on a miscellaneous application, officers were granted permission to search Aoko’s residence along Gatanga Road. During the search, they recovered several electronic devices, including a Huawei phone, a damaged black phone, a Dell laptop, and a flash disk, all of which were listed in an inventory and later handed over for investigation.
Shidi testified that Aoko was shown the arrest warrant and informed of the charges before being taken to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters. However, during cross-examination, defence lawyer Kennedy Echesa raised concerns about the legality of the arrest and the manner in which the search was executed. He argued that the officers may have violated Aoko’s privacy by asking her to unlock her phone to obtain the IMEI number and questioned whether the officers conducting the arrest were legally authorized.
Shidi admitted to several procedural shortcomings, including not signing the inventory during the handover of items and failing to present the warrant to Aoko before entering her home. She also could not confirm that the seized items belonged to the accused. Further, it was acknowledged that the officer named in the court order, Chief Inspector Nixon Kinyua, did not execute the arrest.
Chief Inspector Kinyua confirmed his role as one of the lead investigators in the case and identified key prosecution witnesses, including Sergeant Shidi, a digital forensic expert, and Jimal Ibrahim Hassan. The case has faced repeated adjournments, primarily due to the unavailability of witnesses, prompting the defence to request that the matter be closed. They argued that the prolonged delays were prejudicial to the accused and called on the prosecution to expedite proceedings.
Aoko, who pleaded not guilty to the charges, was granted bail set at Sh100,000. Alongside the charge of publishing false information, she also faces accusations of cyber harassment and misuse of electronic data. The case continues.
