Nuru Okanga in Court for Defamation Case Hearing

The hearing of a case in which political activist Nuru Maloba Okanga has been charged with publishing false, defamatory, and threatening information on social media kicked off before a Nairobi court.

According to the arresting officer, Okanga was arrested on June 11, 2024 in Tasia, Embakasi, after a video clip circulated online, including on TikTok, allegedly showing him addressing members of the public and making remarks suggesting that the then Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua should “use his experience as a former District Commissioner and shoot the President since he was disturbing him.”

Police constable Milton Mwanzi, a police officer attached to the DCI Headquarters Serious Crimes Unit, told the court that he was instructed by his superior at the crime unit to accompany a team on the operation that led to the arrest.

“We monitored the suspect’s movements and managed to apprehend him as he entered a barber shop in a place called B Center,” the officer testified, adding that he later escorted Okanga to DCI headquarters for further interrogation.

However, during cross-examination by lawyer and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, who is representing the activist, the officer admitted that he had not watched the full video, could not verify its authenticity, and was not trained in digital forensics.

“I am not a digital forensics expert. I cannot authenticate whether the video was genuine or manipulated. I also did not seize any of the accused’s devices, apply for a search warrant, or request subscriber information from TikTok,” he said.

He further told the court that he could not confirm whether Okanga owns a TikTok account or was linked to accounts which were allegedly used to share the clip.

The officer also acknowledged that he did not know who lodged the complaint, had not opened the initial inquiry file, and did not obtain a court order to track the accused’s movements.

“I did not have a court order to track the accused person’s movements,” the officer told the court.

The hearing will continue on October 2, 2025.