On Monday, Jimmy Charles Mureithi faced charges for the publication of false information, as per Section 23 of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act of 2018.
Mureithi appeared before Mombasa Law Court Senior Resident Magistrate David Odhiambo, who accused him of disseminating false information about Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro.
He is accused of spreading rumours alleging that a woman had defrauded Kilifi Governor Gideon Mun’garo of Kes.200 million.
According to the prosecution, Mureithi, using the Facebook alias ‘Mureithi Wa Lucy’, intentionally posted false information alleging that Loise Makena had defrauded Governor Mun’garo, thereby damaging her reputation.
Mureithi, arrested on Sunday, April 7th, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The prosecution opposed Mureithi’s immediate release on bail, citing ongoing police investigations.
Police sought 7 days to detain the suspect while they completed an investigation into the matter, which included analyzing two mobile phones recovered from him and suspected of being used in the commission of the offense.
The prosecution informed the court that the phone analysis might reveal any potential accomplices involved in the alleged crime.
Magistrate David Odhiambo ordered that the suspect be held in custody for two days, after which he will be released on a bond of Kes.500,000 with one surety of a similar amount.
The case will be mentioned on Thursday, April 11th.
