It now appears blogger Scophine Aoko alias Maverick Aoko Otieno was arrested and arraigned in court today in Nairobi over defamation and the complainant is Beth Wambui Mbuitu and not a powerful Cabinet Secretary as was earlier reported.
She was released on a Sh100, 000 cash bail after pleading not guilty to three counts of publication of false information.
Aoko, who was arrested at her Kawangware home on August 16 will return to court on September 2 for a pre-trial hearing.
Police will however remain with her laptop and phone for “further investigation”.
She is accused of using her social media handle to spread false and defamatory information about complainant Wambui.
The charge reads she is accused of posting a tweet that was described as malicious, false, and well-planned to harm the complainant’s reputation.
The tweet on August 3, 2024 read; “Maze it disorients me to say this.. But Amber Ray is innocent. She did not ruin marriage ya Jamal Amira.. Beth did..She’s the daughter of a powerful cop so if you find me thrown Kware, refer to this tweet… Ask how Jamal moved from Makanga wa South C to Matatu boss… Ndio naanza.”
She is thus charged for violating Section 23 of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act of 2018, which states that if found guilty, a person faces a Ksh.5 million fine, a 10-year prison sentence, or both.
“A person who knowingly publishes false information in print, broadcast, data, or over a computer system, that is calculated or results in panic, chaos, or violence among citizens of the Republic, or that is likely to discredit a person’s reputation, commits an offence and shall, on conviction, be liable to a fine not exceeding Ksh.5 million or ten years in prison, or both,” reads a portion of the Act.
Three witnesses are scheduled to testify, including Sergeant Norah Shigi, a Digital Forensics expert at Kenya’s Communications Authority, and Chief Inspector Nickson Kinyua.
