Political activist Nuru Okanga has walked free after a Nairobi court ruled that investigators failed to credibly connect him to alleged threatening statements circulating on social media, bringing to an end a case that had kept him in court for nearly a year.
The ruling, delivered on January 20, 2026, followed the court’s determination that the prosecution’s case was built on suspicion rather than admissible digital evidence.
Okanga had been charged with publishing false, defamatory and threatening information online, following claims that a video attributed to him urged violent action against President William Ruto.
However, the court found that investigators did not prove ownership, authorship or distribution of the video by Okanga.
Crucially, no electronic devices were seized from him at the time of arrest, no search warrants were presented and no forensic extraction reports were produced to link him to the alleged content.
Testimony from the investigating officer revealed that he lacked expertise in digital authentication and could not confirm whether the video was genuine or artificially generated.
He further admitted that the video was never played or examined in court, and that no independent forensic process was undertaken to trace its origin.
A prosecution witness specialising in digital analysis also acknowledged limitations in the tools used and confirmed that the video was not retrieved from any device belonging to the accused.
The court additionally faulted the prosecution for failing to demonstrate a proper chain of custody or compliance with statutory procedures governing electronic evidence.
While the court acknowledged that the content of the video, if proven, would have raised serious concerns, it held that criminal liability could not be established without concrete proof directly linking the accused to the material.
On that basis, the court ruled that Okanga had no case to answer and acquitted him of all charges.
His defence was led by Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, who challenged the investigative process throughout the trial.
