Man in court for spreading fake news alleging a woman swindled a Governor of Ksh. 200M

Jimmy Charles Mureithi appeared before Senior Resident Magistrate David Odhiambo to answer charges of publishing false information, which violates Section 23 of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act of 2018.

He is accused of spreading rumours about the Kilifi County boss losing millions to the complainant, Loise Makena, who had filed a lawsuit against him.

According to the prosecution, Mureithi, using the Facebook alias 'Mureithi Wa Lucy', purposefully posted false information alleging that Makena had defrauded Governor Mun'garo, thereby harming her reputation.

During the court hearing, Mureithi entered a plea of not guilty to the charge, which was said to have occurred at an unspecified date, time, and location.

The prosecution opposed Mureithi's immediate release on bail, citing ongoing police investigations.

Police were seeking 7 days to detain the suspect while they completed an investigation into the matter, which included analysing two mobile phones recovered from him and suspected of being used in the commission of the offence.

The prosecution told the court that the phone analysis might shed light on any potential accomplices involved in the alleged crime.

The court ordered the suspect to be detained at the Mombasa Central Police Station for a further two days to facilitate the conclusion of ongoing probe. 

He will appear again in court April 11 when the court wil rule on his application for bail.