The internet persona of a Bungoma prison officer, known as Cop Shakur, has landed him in legal trouble after he was dragged to court for allegedly spreading false information online.
Jackson Kuria Kihara, alias Cop Shakur, an officer stationed at Bungoma Main Prison, was charged today at the Milimani Law Courts under Section 23 of the Computer Misuse and Cyber Crime Act No. 5 of 2018. His arrest on January 15, 2025, sent shockwaves through online spaces, with many questioning whether the government is cracking down on digital dissent.
The allegations against Shakur the Cop stem from a post he made on X (formerly Twitter) on January 11, 2025, which authorities claim was both knowingly false and unlawfully disseminated. However, details of the exact content of his post remain unclear, fueling speculation and debate over freedom of speech in the digital age.
Appearing before Milimani Court No. 5, the embattled prison officer pleaded not guilty, setting the stage for a legal showdown. The court granted him a bond of Ksh100,000 or an alternative cash bail of Ksh50,000, as he awaits the mention of his case on February 17, 2025.
While his online alias suggests a fusion of law enforcement and streetwise rebellion, today’s courtroom drama paints a different picture—one of a uniformed officer at odds with the very system he serves.
His arrest has sparked mixed reactions, with digital rights activists arguing that the law is being weaponized to silence individuals, while others insist that government employees must be held to higher standards when using social media.
With the next court session looming, all eyes will be on how Cop Shakur’s case unfolds. Will he become a cautionary tale for reckless online speech, or will this be a landmark case in Kenya’s evolving cyber laws?
