Teacher May Face Ten Years in Prison or Pay Sh5 Million Fine for Impersonating President Ruto
A secondary school teacher could face as much as ten years of incarceration or a fine of Sh5 million after being charged with impersonating President William Ruto on social media.
The accused individual is identified as Titus Wekesa Sifuna; he purportedly created an account on X (formerly Twitter) using the President’s likeness and operated under the handle ‘I Must Go’ with the username @Thief_5th.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) asserts that Sifuna utilized the account to disparage and insult the Head of State and his family through numerous messages.
The messages were deemed inflammatory, which could incite public disorder.
The posts are alleged to have stirred controversy in the online community, prompting national security concerns.
According to the officials, it is believed that the offense committed by Sifuna falls under the Mukhyia of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act No. 5 of 2018.
Section 23 of this regulation forbids the deliberate publication of false or misleading information that causes public turmoil or damages reputations.
Should Sifuna be found guilty, he will be subject to a very substantial financial penalty, in addition to a lengthy prison sentence, or both.
The detectives clarified that the suspect was tracked down through a mobile number that had been used for some advertisements and subsequently linked to the same social media account.
The number led investigators via a digital trail that ultimately resulted in Sifuna’s arrest on April 18 in Bungoma County.
Further investigations also indicated that an Umbrella Trex Solution company is associated with the teacher.
Police additionally stated that the teacher spends significant time in Kwale County, where he is reportedly a volunteer, even though he has not yet been located residing there.
This, they contended, raises the possibility of him fleeing.
The prosecution seeks to hold Sifuna for seven additional days at Capitol Hill police station to continue the investigation. Police intend to examine his digital devices and request X to cooperatively provide records of account activity.
A decision on the request for his extended detention is anticipated on Wednesday.
This has sparked renewed discussions on the freedom of expression and the legality of online remarks related to public figures.