Kenya, April 22 -- The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has arrested 22-year-old Titus Wekesa Sifuna for allegedly impersonating President William Ruto on the social media platform X.
Operating under the username "I Must Go" and handle @Thief_5th, Sifuna is accused of posting content falsely suggesting that President Ruto was about to resign due to public pressure.
The arrest took place in Bungoma County, following an investigation led by Police Constable Peter Mwangi of the DCI headquarters in Nairobi.
Authorities claim Sifuna used a parody account to pose as Kenya's fifth president, violating Section 23 of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act of 2018.
The SIM card linked to the X account was registered with an identity card belonging to Sifuna, according to Officer Mwangi.
A Milimani Magistrate Court, presided over by Senior Principal Magistrate Geoffrey Onsaringo, granted the DCI's request to detain Sifuna for three days at Capitol Hill Police Station to allow further investigation.
The DCI had sought a seven-day detention to conduct forensic analysis of Sifuna's mobile phones, laptop, and hard drives, as well as to visit Msambweni, Kwale County, where Sifuna reportedly resided while posting the content.
Sifuna, a Pwani University graduate, told investigators he was working as a volunteer teacher in Msambweni at the time of the alleged impersonation.
The investigating officer also described Sifuna as a flight risk, citing his relocation from Kwale to Bungoma. However, Sifuna's lawyer, Kennedy Echesa, opposed the detention, arguing against the extended custodial period.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Bana Kenya.