A Kitui-based political blogger who runs the popular online write-up platform Kinuko 96.5 FM has been charged with multiple counts of publishing false information in violation of Kenya’s Cybercrimes Act, following a series of explosive allegations posted in local political WhatsApp groups.
Kitovoto Mutinda, widely known in Kitui political circles for his hard-hitting commentaries, appeared before the Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi after the State levelled at least nine charges against him under Section 23 of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act No. 5 of 2018.
Photo: Richard Munguti
According to the charge sheets, the accused is said to have posted several controversial write-ups on August 9, 2024 and September 8, 2024 across WhatsApp groups such as Kitui Professional Forum, Mwingi Political Forum and Kitui Leaders Council. The content — which was branded with the Kinuko 96.5 FM logo — carried headlines such as “MP Mulyungi Secret Millions: The Truth Behind Kitui Tender Scandal” and “The 26 Million Question: Where Did Kitui’s Public Funds Really Go?”
In the posts, he allegedly implicated Mwingi Central MP Gideon Mulyungi in corruption, claiming the legislator had been bribed by camel herders and that Kitui MCAs were covering up a major tender scandal at the county assembly. The State says the blogger intended that the information be perceived as factual and relied upon by the public, despite being false.
Photo: Courtesy / Parliament of Kenya Website
The prosecution maintains that such content amounts to criminal misinformation under the cybercrimes law, while press freedom activists are already describing the case as a test for digital expression in devolved politics.
Kitovoto Mutinda denied all the charges. The court ordered his release on a cash bail of Ksh 200,000 or an alternative bond of Ksh 500,000, pending the next hearing.
