This archive report was first published on 3 August 2020.
On July 30, 2020, blogger Edgar Obare was arrested at his home in Kisumu and brought to Nairobi, where he was detained at Muthaiga Police Station over the weekend.
Obare was charged with the offence of unlawful disclosure of personal data contrary to section 72 (3) (b) as read with section 73 of the data protection act number 24 of 2019.
According to his charge sheet, Obare allegedly shared private documents of YouTuber Natalie Wanjiru Githinji, also known as Natalie Tewa, on his social media accounts without her consent.
On July 27, 2020, Tewa had posted on her Twitter account blaming people for soiling her name, stating, “We have such a terrible culture of tearing other people down in the name of gossip. There’s already too much negativity in this world, contributing to it doesn’t improve your life or take you higher. Instead use your time wisely, because every minute of our lives counts.”
Obare's arrest came after he linked Tewa to a Dubai trip by Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho and Suna East MP Junet Mohamed, claiming that the YouTuber was part of the entourage.
However, Tewa denied being part of the entourage, and there was no image of her in the viral post.
Obare's charge sheet reads: “On diverse dates between July 9, 2020, and July 13, 2020, at an unknown place within the Republic of Kenya, using social media accounts, domain name, www.bnn.ke, and verified Instagram account @edgarobare, unlawfully disclosed to your followers personal data of visa belonging to Natalie Wanjiru Githinji without her consent.”
