Popular Activist Mutemi wa Kiama Arrested over Widely Shared Uhuru, Ruto Posters

Popular Kenyan activist Mutemi wa Kiama has been paraded in court over alleged cybercrime offenses.

Mutemi was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly making two widely circulated posters bearing the portraits of President Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto.

He spent the night at Nairobi Central Police Station and was arraigned before Senior Principal Magistrate Jane Kamau of Milimani law courts on Wednesday.

State Prosecutor Joseph Riungu sought to have Mutemi detained for 14 days to allow police to complete investigations but defense lawyer Martha Karua objected.

The magistrate ordered the accused be detained until Thursday when the court will make a ruling on the prosecution’s application.

The two posters that landed Mutemi in trouble warned the international community against lending money to the government of Kenya. 

They are part of an ongoing campaign by Kenyans online to compel the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to cancel a recent loan of Sh255 billion to Kenya.

A poster with the image of President Uhuru stated that “This is to notify the world at large that the person whose photograph and names appear above is not authorized to act or transact on behalf of the citizens of the Republic of Kenya and that the nation and the future generations shall not be held liable for any penalties of bad loans negotiated and/or borrowed by him.” 

The one for Ruto stated that “This is to notify the world at large that the person whose photograph and names appear above is not suitable for public office. He is therefore not authorized to act or transact on behalf of the citizens of the Republic of Kenya and that the nation and the future generations shall not be held liable for any looting and penalties accruing from his grand looting schemes.”

As of Wednesday, nearly 300,000 Kenyans had signed an online petition asking the international lender to cancel the loan meant to boost Kenya’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.