Nuru Okanga, an activist, has publicly challenged President William Ruto to appear in court before a major judgment is made in a case in which the Head of State has filed the complaint.
Okanga, who was charged with offending the President, went to social media to express his anger. “In 2023, William Ruto filed a lawsuit against me, however, he has never appeared in court, not even once,” he said, also noting that the judgment is set to take place on Tuesday, January 20.
The Bunge la Wananchi member was charged with publishing a video on the YouTube channel Riba News in which he made remarks considered an insult to the President. He was acquitted of the charges of publishing fake information.
Okanga also presented the future ruling as a kind of test of justice, suggesting in his online post that the outcome is unlikely to be favorable since the complainant is absent. Every Kenyan knows the way such cases are closed, he said.
He ended by asking people to come together in the fight, comparing it to similar battles that opposition leader Raila Odinga had won in court in the past. Pray for me, fellow Kenyans. It might be me today, it’s you tomorrow.
The case underlines that the relationship between government critics and the state remains strained, and that Okanga confronts the President with his argument before the court verdict only heightens the case’s dramatic element.
By tuko