Titus Wekesa Sifuna, a 22-year-old man from Bungoma County, has been detained for three days for impersonating President William Ruto on X and deceiving Kenyans that he would leave office.
According to Senior Principal Magistrate Geoffrey Onsarigo, Wekesa who was arrested in Bungoma County on Tuesday, 22nd April, is said to have been posting content on the X handle, calling himself the fifth President of Kenya under the username “I Must Go.”
The senior principal magistrate ordered Sifuna to be detained for three days instead of the seven days the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) had sought.
“I hereby allow the application sought by the Investigating Officer on the grounds that the respondent will be held for a period of three days at Capitol Hill Police Station, so as to allow the Investigating Officer to complete the investigations,” Senior Principal Magistrate Onsaringo ruled.
According to Investigating Officer Peter Mwangi, Sifuna has been posting messages and images on the said X handle that have been attracting negative comments, which are dangerous to the peace of the nation.
The investigating officer further states that the social media account’s content is of great harm to the reputation of the country, noting that the Presidency is a symbol of national unity and ought to be respected and honoured by all.
IO Mwangi also told court that the content on the X account portrays hate speech and might lead to ethnic violence.
“The images and messages attached to the account, which have been discovered so far during the preliminary investigations, are more of hate speech, which can lead to ethnic tensions among other members of the public.”
He further stated that the identity card (ID) used to register the SIM card operating the X account, purporting that President Ruto is about to resign under pressure imposed by Kenyans to have him leave office, belongs to Sifuna.
