A 22-year-old man accused of impersonating President William Ruto on social media and spreading false information has been detained for three days pending further investigations.
Titus Wekesa Sifuna, who hails from Bungoma County, was arraigned before the Milimani Law Courts on Monday, where prosecutors revealed he is under investigation for offences under the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act of 2018.
Sifuna is alleged to have operated an X (formerly Twitter) account under the username @thief-5th, with the display name “I Must Go”, through which he impersonated the Head of State and falsely claimed that President Ruto was planning to step down.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) told the court that Sifuna had been sharing messages and images that were “derogatory and disrespectful” to the President and his family, content that investigators say could incite ethnic tensions and disrupt national peace.
Detective Constable Peter Mwangi from DCI headquarters, who is leading the investigation, said they are probing the offence of publication of false information.
He noted that the X account in question had gained traction online, attracting inflammatory comments and potentially fueling hate speech.
“The contents in the X handle account are of great harm to the reputation of the country, considering the presidency is a symbol of national unity and ought to be respected and honoured by all,” Mwangi stated in an affidavit.
He further told the court that posts made by the suspect misled Kenyans into believing that President Ruto had succumbed to pressure and was preparing to resign claims he said were baseless and dangerous.
The court heard that data from the National Registration Bureau confirmed that the ID card used to register the SIM card operating the controversial X account was indeed registered to Sifuna.
Detectives also revealed that Sifuna had been residing in Msambweni, Kwale County for much of the year, where he reportedly worked as a volunteer teacher while allegedly operating the impersonation account.
As part of the ongoing probe, investigators plan to conduct forensic examinations of Sifuna’s mobile phones, laptop, and hard disks, and are awaiting court orders to obtain certified records from X regarding the accounts he allegedly managed.
They also intend to escort him to his residence in Msambweni to collect additional evidence and exhibits.
During the court session, the prosecution requested to detain the suspect for seven days to complete investigations.
However, Senior Principal Magistrate Geoffrey Onsarigo granted them three days.
In his ruling, Onsarigo noted that the investigating officer indicated the suspect was arrested in Bungoma.
“I hereby allow the Investigating Officer to hold the suspect for three days at Capital Hill Police Station,” ordered the magistrate.
