Cherlene Ruto, the daughter of Kenyan President William Ruto has sued a little known author for publishing a book about her which was unauthorised, APA learnt on Wednesday.
Webster Ochora Elijah appeared in court charged with impersonation and publishing and releasing the biography on Charlene without her expressed consent.
Elijah denied the charge amid vociferous support from rights advocates including lawyers who said there was no reason for his arrest and prosecution.
”This prosecution is political persecution” said one activist.
Charlene told journalists that while Elijah’s book titled ‘Beyond the Name: Charlene Ruto and the Youth Uprising” did not slander or malign her name or reputation, it represents a “bad culture where we misuse people’s names and we get away with it and that is not right”.
She added: ”The gentleman never came to me with a suggestion that he wants to write a book on my behalf and for me that is a misappropriate use of my name”.
Elijah whose self-published book is unavailable online was released on bail.
Charlene, an outgoing public figure who had delivered public lectures around Kenya, was once the centre of a controversy over state funds allegedly used for her travels abroad. She had denied the allegation.
Meanwhile stakeholders in Kenya’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector say they are united in a firm condemnation of the arrest, detention, and prosecution of software developer and civic activist Rose Njeri.
The mother of two, was detained on Friday, May 30, 2025, following a police raid on her home in Nairobi, where authorities seized her electronic devices, including her phone, laptop, and hard drives.
She had not been presented to any court, despite multiple attempts by her legal counsel to establish the charges against her or secure her release.
Reports indicate that Ms. Njeri suffers from anaemia and was denied proper access to healthcare during her detention. Activists say her arrest and detention over a long public holiday weekend appear to have been deliberately calculated to extend her detention without judicial oversight.
It is alleged that Ms. Njeri’s arrest stems from her development of an online civic platform which seeks to provide a coordinated solution for Kenyan citizens to formally present views to the National Assembly in response to the ongoing public participation discussions on the Finance Bill, 2025.
In particular, the platform enables them to simply register their objections to clause 52 of the Bill which proposes the deletion of Section 59A (1B) of the Tax Procedures Act, which currently prohibits the Commissioner of the Kenya Revenue Authority from requiring a person to integrate or share data relating to “(a) trade secrets; and (b) private or personal data held on behalf of customers or collected in the course of business.”
On Tuesday afternoon, Ms. Njeri appeared in court, more than 88 hours after her arrest, despite the legal requirement under Article 49 of the Constitution that she be brought to court within 24 hours.
She was charged with “unauthorised interference with a computer system,” an offence which carries a maximum penalty of a fine of up to ten million shillings, imprisonment of up to five years, or both.
Ms. Njeri has since been released on personal bond of KES 100,000 and will appear in court on 20 June for a ruling on the validity of the charges against her.
WN/as/APA