Blogger Nyakundi Arrested Over Covid-19 Post

Blogger Cyprian Nyakundi at a court room during a case hearing
Blogger Cyprian Nyakundi at a court room during a case hearing
Twitter

Blogger Cyprian Nyakundi was on the evening of Tuesday, March 24, arrested following a comment he shared online regarding Covid-19 pandemic.

The Standard was the first to report that the blogger was locked up at Central Police Station shortly after posting on social media that he had received a summon from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).

The blogger was accused of spreading false information that a top Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) official travelled abroad and failed to quarantine on his return.

"I have been summoned by DCI and as a law-abiding citizen, I’ll present myself to Central Police Station today at 3 p.m." He shared.

A text that Blogger Cyprian Nyakundi received from the DCI ordering him to surrender to the police on Tuesday, March 24, 2020.
A text that Blogger Cyprian Nyakundi received from the DCI ordering him to surrender to the police on Tuesday, March 24, 2020.
Twitter

DCI reportedly reached out to the blogger through WhatsApp asking him to surrender to the police, an order he was willing to honour.

"Mr Nyakundi, my name is Macharia from DCI, I am asking you to present yourself at your nearest police station, or your town area DCIO Rongai now.

"I am on standby on this number, treat it as urgent," read the officer's request.

The blogger had earlier made an eyebrow-raising post claiming that former Prime Minister Raila Odinga may indirectly have interacted with Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi who is on self-quarantine.

"I have reports that Raila Odinga didn't meet Governor Kingi but met Dabaso Ward ODM aspirant (Dickson Karani) in the forthcoming election. The aspirant had spent his day with Mung'aro (Gideon). Mung'aro, on the other hand, had met with Kingi. Kingi had met his deputy (Gideon Saburi)," shared the blogger.

This comes as the state strives to avoid misleading information seeping and causing panic to the public.

Another popular blogger, Robert Alai, was released on Ksh50,000 bail on Monday, March 23, after spending the weekend in jail for posting Covid-19 information authorities deemed misleading.  

Alai was barred from publishing any information on the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic after he was charged with circulating false information.

He allegedly published misleading information on Coronavirus-related deaths in Kenya on his Twitter page on March 19, 2020.

In the post, Alai is alleged to have claimed that 2 deaths had been confirmed in Mombasa County as a result of the epidemic.

Kileleshwa MCA Robert Alai in the dock during a past appearance at Milimani Law Courts
Kileleshwa MCA Robert Alai in the dock during a past appearance at Milimani Law Courts
Daily Nation
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