Warrant of arrest issued against TikToker in Ksh.500,000 extortion case

Court Magistrate Grace Ouko issued the warrant after Gitonga failed to attend court when the matter came up for hearing. His lawyer was also absent.

The case has been scheduled for October 1, 2026, when Gitonga is expected to appear before the court.

Gitonga is facing a charge of demanding property with menaces, contrary to Section 302 of the Penal Code.

The prosecution alleges that Gitonga, jointly with another person who is not before the court, demanded Ksh.500,000 from Amos Hunja Mwangi, a media service provider.

The alleged offence is said to have occurred between July 20 and July 27, 2025, within Nairobi County.

According to the charge sheet, the demand was allegedly made in connection with a video published by Gitonga on his TikTok account, in which he claimed that Ksh1.6 billion had been stolen from a bank account.

The prosecution alleges that Gitonga demanded the money from Hunja in exchange for taking down the video and stopping further publications concerning the bank.

Hunja told police that Gitonga allegedly threatened to continue publishing content that would damage the bank's reputation if the Ksh.500,000 was not paid.

Gitonga has denied the allegations and previously pleaded not guilty before Senior Principal Magistrate Sharon Ouko.

He was released on a Ksh.50,000 cash bail or Ksh.100,000 bond.

The prosecution had earlier raised concerns over Gitonga's social media activity, accusing him of discussing the case online.

State Counsel Rama Mwanaidi urged the court to restrain him from making further comments about the proceedings, arguing that such posts could interfere with the judicial process.

The court subsequently issued a gag order barring Gitonga from discussing, publishing or causing to be published information relating to the case on social media or any other platform.

The matter will return to court on October 1, 2026, for further proceedings.