The Milimani Law Courts have granted the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) three days to continue detaining a woman accused of publishing alleged flight movement information relating to President William Ruto on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
The DCI is investigating Halima Ngache for alleged cyber harassment under the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act following posts that investigators claim disclosed details of the President’s travel itinerary and the registration number of the aircraft he was using.
According to a supporting affidavit sworn by Corporal Edwin Metto of the DCI’s Serious Crimes Unit, investigations were launched after an X account allegedly published information tracking President Ruto’s movements during his official trip to Europe.
The affidavit states that on June 28, 2026, at about 10:08 p.m., the account allegedly posted that the President had departed Belgium for Norway aboard a chartered private jet. A subsequent post made on June 30 at about 1:06 a.m. allegedly identified the aircraft by its registration number and suggested the information could be used to monitor the President’s movements.
Investigators argue that the publications caused concern for the safety of the Head of State and heightened public apprehension, adding that the motive behind the alleged posts remains under investigation.
The DCI told the court that Ngache was arrested in Mombasa and found in possession of several electronic devices believed to contain evidence relevant to the inquiry. The items recovered include two mobile phones, a Tecno tablet, a Dell laptop and three flash drives, all of which are set to undergo forensic examination.
According to investigators, the seized devices may contain additional information linked to the disputed social media posts and could assist in identifying other individuals who may have participated in the alleged offences. The investigating officer further informed the court that while the suspect was being escorted from Mombasa to Nairobi, the X account allegedly remained active and continued publishing content. The DCI says this raises the possibility that the respondent may have acted in concert with other individuals who are yet to be identified.
The agency opposed her release, arguing that investigations are still ongoing, including forensic analysis of the electronic devices and requests for information from other agencies before the investigation file is forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) for charging directions.
Although the DCI had sought seven days to complete the investigations, the court found that a shorter period would suffice and granted detectives three days to continue holding the suspect.
The matter will be mentioned after the expiry of the detention period for further directions and to determine whether criminal charges will be preferred against the respondent.
