A Kitui-based blogger appeared in court in Nairobi on Friday, where he was ordered to surrender his mobile phone for investigation into claims of cyberbullying.
Emmanuel Maleve, who was arrested at a local market on Thursday, appeared before the Milimani Magistrate’s Court in Nairobi. The court directed him to hand over his phone to assist with police investigations.
This followed a request by the prosecution, which argued they needed more time to analyze his online posts and connect them to the device.
Maleve’s colleagues claim his arrest is linked to an article he published, accusing a local politician of corruption.
The magistrate ordered that he be taken to Muthaiga Police Station for processing and released on cash bail while investigations continue.
Police say they received a complaint that Maleve had published 51 articles alleging corruption involving the politician, who in turn claims the accusations are false and malicious.
Investigators also aim to determine his motivation, saying they have received reports suggesting Maleve is being used by a Kitui politician and a county official to generate negative publicity.
Police plan to charge him with publishing false information in violation of Section 23 of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act.
The DCI added that he is also under investigation for publishing false information against other Kenyan citizens under the same law.
Additionally, he faces multiple counts of cyber harassment, including one post where he allegedly disparaged a police officer. Police also claim he used AI to create damaging portrayals of the politician and used anti-corruption and DCI logos to legitimize his content.
This is the latest case in a growing trend of police crackdowns on bloggers accused of harassment.