A Nairobi court has allowed the prosecution to detain blogger Dennis Itumbi pending conclusion of investigations into a letter alleging that there is a plot to assassinate Deputy President William Ruto.
On Thursday, Milimani Magistrate Zainabu Abdul dismissed the prosecution’s request to detain the accused at Kamukunji Police Station for 14 days.
Instead, Magistrate Abdul directed the accused person be held at Muthaiga Police Station for five days to allow police to conclude investigations into the alleged fake letter.
Investigators are seeking to record statements from 256 members of a WhatsApp group where Itumbi allegedly shared the letter.
Itumbi was arrested on Wednesday afternoon at a restaurant in Nairobi CBD by detectives from the Flying Squad.
It is alleged that he is one of the DP Ruto’s aides suspected to have circulated the letter on social media platforms. Itumbi works at the office of the Deputy President as a digital communication strategist.
The letter alleged that a group of leaders from Mt. Kenya region, including four Cabinet Secretaries, had been meeting at La Mada Hotel along Thika Road to plan Ruto’s assassination.
The four Cabinet Secretaries are Peter Munya (Trade), Sicily Kariuki (Health), Joe Mucheru (ICT) and James Macharia (Infrastructure).
DCI officers with the help of agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) reportedly established that the letter originated from a cybercafe in Nairobi’s Lang’ata estate.
The matter will be heard on July 10th, 2019.
