The draconian Cybercrime act has taken yet another toll after a Kiambu man was fined 200K after he threatened to shoot the President.
Simon Muchiri, 22, fall into the claws of the draconian Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act law after he was charged with misusing the social media platform by publishing remarks that are deemed detrimental to the office of the president and the people who occupy it.
Muchiri was arrested by security officers after reviewing his page and later tracking him down using his mobile number.
“That on February 27 at an unknown place you published on your Facebook page that you would kill President Uhuru Kenyatta without hesitation if you had a gun,” the prosecution told the court.
The accused, however, denied the charges and was released on a cash bail of Sh200,000 or similar bond terms by Kiambu principal magistrate Grace Omodho.
The magistrate, while releasing the accused, set March 15 as the date when the case will come up for pre-trial hearing. The case will go for a full hearing on May 13.
The draconian law has taken a toll on many Kenyan youths and equally used to silence bloggers and online content creators.
In 2015, a fourth-year student at Moi University Allan Wadi was sentenced to two years in jail for posting unprintable insults against president Kenyatta on social media.
In late 2017, Embakasi East MP Babu Owino was arrested for using derogatory words against President Kenyatta at a political rally in Dagoretti North.
He later denied charges of subversion, uttering abusive words towards the president and incitement to violence. The MP also spent two nights in police cells.
The Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act was challenged in court by the Law Society of Kenya on grounds that it limits freedom of speech, outlaws deliberate publishing and sharing of false, misleading and threatening messages.
Last year, two security guards working at the Sarova Stanley Hotel were charged with unauthorised interception of computer data under Section 17 (1) of the Computer Misuse and Cyber Crimes Act after footage of President Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga inspecting a deserted Kenyatta Avenue by night leaked and went viral on social media.
Blogger Cyprian Nyakundi has also active cases and appeals after being charged under the draconian law.
Cyprian Nyakundi and Robert Alai, the two most influential bloggers in Kenya, have all been charged under the Act and draconian law.
