Webstar Ochora Arrested for Writing Book about Charlene Ruto
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A young Kenyan author has found himself in hot water after writing a book about Charlene Ruto, the daughter of President William Ruto. The book, titled Beyond the Name: Charlene Ruto and the Youth Uprising, has sparked controversy, police action, and a heated debate about free speech.
Webster Ochora, a graduate of Kisii University, was arrested and is currently being held at Muthaiga Police Station. Police say he broke the law by publishing the book without getting Charlene Ruto’s permission. He is being investigated under Kenya’s Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act for allegedly impersonating or using someone’s identity without their consent.
The arrest was carried out by detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), who also seized Ochora’s laptop and other digital gadgets to look deeper into the case. The actual content of the book hasn’t been shared with the public yet.
Is It Free Speech or Identity Theft?
Ochora’s legal team, however, believes the arrest is unfair and unnecessary. Senior Advocate Evans Ondieki, who visited him in custody, called the arrest “an attack on freedom of speech.” He explained that public figures should be open to scrutiny and said using their names or images in non-harmful ways should not be criminalized.
“It’s normal,” Ondieki said. “Especially for young and unemployed Kenyans to write and express themselves. Freedom of speech protects that.”
Another lawyer, Kennedy Mong’are, defended Ochora’s work, pointing out that he had written books on other public figures too, including Donald Trump and Raila Odinga. According to Mong’are, the book about Charlene was meant to be positive, not damaging.
So far, Charlene Ruto has not publicly reacted to the book or the arrest. It’s still unclear whether she even filed the complaint that led to Ochora’s detention.
Is this a case of identity theft, or is it simply a young writer using creativity to highlight youth issues? The court will have the final say.
By Risper Akinyi
