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 for allegedly sharing confidential travel documents of YouTuber Natalie Wanjiru Githinji, alias Natalie Tewa.
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 No. 24 of 2019.
According to his charge sheet, Obare allegedly shared Tewa's visa information without her consent on his social media accounts between July 9 and 13, 2020.
Obare's arrest came after Tewa posted on her Twitter account on July 27, 2020, blaming people for soiling her name.
Tewa had previously denied being part of an entourage that accompanied Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho and Suna East MP Junet Mohamed to Dubai to visit former PM Raila Odinga in the hospital.
Obare had claimed that Tewa was part of the entourage and owned a brown handbag that went viral on social media.
On Friday, July 31, 2020, Obare expressed safety concerns and called on his supporters to help him get back his freedom, tweeting, 'I am not safe and I don’t feel safe where am being held, I have struggled with getting bail but now I understand why it’s being denied. Please support #freeedgarobare.'
