Robert Alai arrested for spreading ‘fake ‘news

March 20, 2020 Majira Media

Alai will spend the weekend in police custody before being charged on Monday on account of spreading false news.

Robert Alai on his twitter handle had claimed that two people had died in Mombasa from Coronavirus. But he would later pull down the post after he was summoned by the DCI.

Head of investigations bureau at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) John Kariuki said Alai will be charged with publishing fake news in contravention of the Cyber-crime Act.

“When you contradict the government and say people have died and you are not the health minister, what is that?” Kariuki posed.

The cyber crime Act states that a person who knowingly publishes information that is false in print, broadcast, data or over a computer system, that is calculated or results in panic, chaos, or violence among citizens of the Republic, or which is likely to discredit the reputation of a person, commits an offense and shall on conviction, be liable to a fine not exceeding five million shillings or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years, or to both.

The blogger was questioned at the DCI headquarters before he was taken to Muthaiga police station. He will be arraigned and charged in court on Monday.

Health CS had appealed to Kenyans to stop spreading unverified information. He noted that Social media had been awash with all sort of rumors.

“I want to appeal to members of public to desist from any form of misinformation. The social media has been awash with all sorts of rumours including that we are locking down Nairobi, sending people home, that we have deployed the military …. things that have come from nowhere. These rumours must stop,” Kagwe said.

On Sunday the DCI had arrested a another Kenyan who claimed he was working at JKIA and had information about Coronavirus patients that were in the country.

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