A blogger accused of publishing false information about Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi’s COVID-19 status was Wednesday charged at the Milimani Law Courts.
The prosecution said the accused, Isaac Kibet, knowingly publishing false information on Facebook and on the domain dailystar.co.ke between July 23 and 24 at an unknown location in the country.
According to the charge sheet, the suspect wrote: “Fred Matiang’i is admitted at Aga Khan ICU battling Covid-19. The super CS is said to be among the 3CSs who contracted the deadly disease.”
“He has been missing from President Uhuru Kenyatta’s key events. Various sources intimated to Daily Star that Matiang’i was admitted at the facility after his health deteriorated at his home where he was under self-quarantine.”
Kibet denied the charges before Milimani Senior Principal Magistrate Benard Ochoi.
Through his lawyer Collins Kiprono, the accused asked the court to release him on lenient bond terms saying he is from a humble background.
The court heard that Kibet recently graduated from Kenyatta University and he is a poor journalist having not secured a job.
Kiprono added that his client has a fixed abode, has cooperated with the investigating officers, and will not interfere with witnesses.
“Noting hard economic times due to Covid-19, kindly give my client lenient bail so that he can be able to attend court,” Kiprono said.
Magistrate Ochoi freed the blogger on Sh50,000 bail or Sh100,000 bond and ordered him not to mention the case on any social media platform.
The case will be mentioned on August 12.
