Trial of activist accused of threatening President Ruto resumes

Okanga is accused of posting a video clip that allegedly contained remarks deemed threatening to the Head of State.

The prosecution alleges that in the clip, widely shared on TikTok and other platforms, Okanga urged the then–Deputy President to “use his experience as a former District Commissioner to shoot the President because he was disturbing him, the same way he used to disturb the President, who is now the former President, when he was Deputy President.”

Mwanzi, who was at the time attached to a Nairobi-based police unit, testified that he was deployed to Tasia Estate in Embakasi to apprehend Okanga after the controversial video went viral.

“I only managed to watch part of the clip. I did not have enough time because I had been instructed to accompany the arresting team,” Mwanzi told the court, adding that his involvement in the matter was limited to executing the arrest.

The officer further admitted that he had not seen the charge sheet prior to the arrest, explaining that his task was only to hand over Okanga to investigators for further processing.

The defense, led by lawyer Babu Owino, subjected Mwanzi to intense cross-examination, pressing him on the authenticity of the video that formed the basis of Okanga’s arrest.

Mwanzi conceded that he could not independently verify whether the footage was genuine or manipulated.

“I cannot tell when the video was uploaded or who uploaded it,” he said. “Although I am an investigator, I have no knowledge of forensic cybercrime investigations.”

The officer also confirmed that he did not obtain a court order to track Okanga’s movements and had no evidence directly linking the activist to TikTok at the time of the arrest.

In further testimony, Mwanzi acknowledged that he had not applied for a search warrant for Okanga’s electronic devices, nor had he seized any gadgets during the arrest.

“The arrest was purely based on information relayed by my superior,” he told the court.

He added that although there was pressure surrounding the case, he could not tell where the pressure was coming from.