A Kenyan university student appeared in court on Thursday, May 29, facing charges of publishing false information after allegedly posting a fake image suggesting that President William Ruto had died. The case, seen by critics as part of a broader crackdown on dissent, stems from a social media post by 24-year-old David Mokaya featuring a photo of a funeral procession with the caption, “President William Ruto’s Body leaves Lee Funeral Home.”
Mokaya’s arrest late last year followed a wave of government repression targeting critics, particularly after widespread protests in June over tax increases and corruption. Rights groups say at least 60 people were killed during the demonstrations, with dozens more reportedly abducted by security forces in the aftermath.
At the hearing held at Nairobi’s Milimani Law Courts, the proceedings were swiftly adjourned until July 31. Mokaya’s lawyer, Ian Mutiso, described the case as an assault on freedom of expression, arguing that his client was engaging in legitimate political satire and criticism of the president.
“Our client was taking the right… as a citizen of Kenya to express his political opinions, express political satire… and also criticise the head of state,” Mutiso told AFP. “Political satire is not a crime. The case is very flimsy.”
The charges against Mokaya echo other recent incidents in Kenya, where at least five people reportedly went missing in December after sharing satirical or digitally altered content involving the president. Two of them had posted AI-generated images depicting Ruto in a coffin. Another critic, cartoonist Gideon Kibet, also known as Kibet Bull, halted his satirical work after allegedly being abducted.
Human rights organizations have attributed these disappearances to a covert unit composed of intelligence and counter-terrorism operatives. While the government and police have denied involvement, President Ruto recently acknowledged the disappearances at a press conference, saying, “All the people who disappeared or who were abducted… have been brought back to their families… and I have given clarity and firm instructions that nothing of that kind of nature will happen again.”
