In today’s court news, a 22-year-old teacher from Kwale County, Titus Wekesa Sifuna, who is accused of impersonating President William Ruto on social media platform X, will have to wait longer as investigations into the case continue.
The prosecution informed the court that the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has not yet completed its inquiries into the matter. Sifuna is alleged to have created an X account impersonating the head of state, through which he falsely claimed that the president would resign.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions requested more time to allow investigators to complete their work and suggested the case be mentioned again in May. However, Sifuna’s lawyer opposed the timing, noting that his client is a teacher and would be engaged with school duties during that period.
Instead, the lawyer proposed either an August mention date; allowing a full three months for investigation, or June 26, which falls during the school’s half-term break. The court agreed to the June 26 date to minimize disruption to Sifuna’s teaching schedule.
Sifuna is currently out on a cash bail of Sh100,000. The court had earlier denied a DCI request to hold him for an additional seven days.
He was arrested for allegedly running an X account under the username “I must Go,” which published content suggesting the president was stepping down. Authorities claim this constituted impersonation and the dissemination of false information.
Detective Constable Peter Mwangi from DCI headquarters stated that the case involves the publication of false information, an offense under Section 23 of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, 2018. In an affidavit, Mwangi noted that the content shared on the account, both messages and images, had triggered negative public reaction and posed a threat to national cohesion.
“The presidency is a symbol of national unity and must be respected. The posts from this account have damaged the country’s reputation and stirred potential ethnic tension,” said Mwangi.
As part of the ongoing investigation, detectives plan to conduct forensic analysis on electronic devices, including phones, laptops, and hard drives, and to obtain certified records from X (formerly Twitter) regarding the account activity. These steps are pending court approval.
