A man identified as Samwel Mogwasi Mainga has been charged with impersonating June Ruto, the daughter of President William Ruto.
Mainga was arrested on Wednesday in Mombasa over allegations of identity theft and impersonation, which fall under Section 29 of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act of 2018.
He was presented before the Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi on Thursday, where police sought to have him detained for an additional seven days to allow them to conclude investigations.
In a sworn affidavit, Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officer Peter Mwangi explained the rationale behind the request, stating, “Due to the nature and the complexity of this matter it requires more days to obtain some vital information/documents in relationship to the case.”
Mwangi told the court that investigators are yet to retrieve relevant documents from Mainga’s Facebook account, collect statements from key witnesses, and confirm the suspect’s place of residence to prevent possible flight from the court’s jurisdiction.
The court is expected to rule on the police application to continue holding Mainga on Friday.
