A political activist Nuru Maloba Okanga was on Wednesday charged before a Nairobi court with publishing false, defamatory and threatening information on social media.
Okanga was accused of "knowingly and unlawfully publishing false, defamatory and threatening information online, knowing it to be false and well-calculated to cause fear, and panic among the citizens of Kenya and destroy the reputation of the Executive leadership of Kenya."
He was charged that at an unknown place, jointly with others not before the court, he published false, defamatory and threatening information online.
The court was also told that Okanga with others not before the court, through an unlawful broadcast while using his social accounts, published videos, which was in contravention of the provisions of an issued valid licence.
However, Okanga denied the charges before Milimani senior principal magistrate Bernard Ochoi.
Through his lawyer Shadrack Wambui, he pleaded for lenient bond terms.
He said Okanga is a Form 1 student and lives on the benevolence of well-wishers.
"His work is for no gain. He is a family man married with a child. The wife is unwell and the child is admitted at Kenyatta National Hospital having two of his kidneys not working," Wambui argued.
The lawyer told the court that the charges were made up so that the accused person a frequent court user could not participate in the demos that happened yesterday on the Finance Bill.
The court was also told that Okanga is not a flight risk. He was arrested on June 11 and has been in custody all along.
The magistrate released him on a cash bail of Sh 100,000 or a bond of Sh200,000.
The case will be mentioned on July 3 for pretrial.
