In a stunning rebuke to state prosecutors, a Nairobi court on Wednesday discharged software developer and civic tech activist Rose Njeri, ruling that the cybercrime charges brought against her were “defective, ambiguous, and baseless.”
The software developer was accused of cyber harassment and computer misuse after creating a web platform that allowed Kenyans to send mass email objections to Parliament over the controversial 2025 Finance Bill.
In a terse ruling, the magistrate dismissed the State’s case, citing glaring inconsistencies in the charge sheet and a lack of legal basis to prosecute the young developer. The decision triggered applause from supporters who had thronged the courtroom in solidarity, many wearing T-shirts bearing the words #DigitalDemocracy and #JusticeForNjeri.
“The court will not be used to sanitize politically motivated arrests. The Constitution protects the right to civic participation — digital or otherwise,” the magistrate declared.
The discharge marks a major victory for civil society and digital rights defenders who had condemned Njeri’s arrest as an attempt to criminalize civic tech innovation and intimidate activists ahead of public hearings on the Finance Bill.
Speaking outside court, Njeri said she was “relieved but not surprised.”
“They tried to silence civic engagement through intimidation. But today, justice spoke clearly,” she told reporters, flanked by her legal team.
Her lawyer, Martha Omondi, vowed to sue for unlawful detention and violation of her client’s rights, while civil society groups renewed calls for reforms to Kenya’s cybercrime law, accusing the State of using it to gag dissent.
With mounting public scrutiny and global attention on Kenya’s treatment of digital activists, Rose Njeri’s case is now seen as a turning point in the fight to defend free expression in the digital age.
