A 25-year-old man has been arraigned before the Garissa Law Courts following charges of ethnic contempt and cyber harassment in alleged inflammatory remarks posted in a viral TikTok video.
In a statement by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the case followed a review of the video, which established grounds for prosecution over alleged incitement and online harassment.
According to the authority, the video was uploaded on April 23, and allegedly contained content inciting members of the Muslim community in the county against non-Muslims.
“Detectives from Garissa Police Station have arraigned a suspect before the Garissa Law Courts over alleged inflammatory remarks made in a viral TikTok video deemed to incite ethnic and religious hostility,” DCI stated.
The suspect was nabbed on May 16, after investigations were concluded and the case file forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).
The ODPP approved the charges under Section 62(1) of the National Cohesion and Integration Act, which prohibits the use of words or material intended to incite contempt against any person or group based on race or ethnicity.
Section 27 of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, which criminalises cyber harassment, including wilful digital communication that causes fear of violence or harmful effects to a person, was also cited in approving the charges.
The suspect was arraigned on July 2 and pleaded not guilty to both charges.
The court released the accused on a bond of Ksh500,000 or an alternative cash bail of Ksh200,000.
The matter is scheduled for pre-trial on July 20.
