Case against woman accused of publishing falsehood about Joho pushed to next year
Ms Matilda Kinzani when she appeared before the Mombasa Law Courts.
What you need to know:
- The accused allegedly used her employer's digital equipment to disseminate the falsehoods.
- Investigations were extended to the company where a search was conducted and exhibits recovered.
The hearing of a case in which a woman has been charged with making false accusations against Cabinet Secretary for Mining and Blue Economy, Hassan Joho, and his brother Abubakar Joho has been pushed to next year.
Ms Matilda Maodo Kinzani is accused of falsely claiming in a WhatsApp group that Mr Joho and his brother defrauded Mombasa County of over Sh40 billion.
On Thursday, the prosecution said that it had supplied both the defence and the complainants' lawyers, with all relevant statements that it would rely on in the case.
Drug trafficking claims
The woman is also alleged to have falsely linked Mr Abubakar, a businessman, to drug trafficking and theft of containers at the Port of Mombasa.
Ms Kinzani is facing four counts for allegedly publishing false information under Section 23 of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act.
The charge sheet indicates that the accused knowingly published information titled “To the Government of Kenya and the Gen-Z,” with claims that Mr Abubakar was involved in drug trafficking.
According to the prosecution, the false statement was likely to damage Mr Abubakar's reputation.
Irregularly acquired land
The suspect is also alleged to have published false information on social media, claiming that Mr Abubakar irregularly acquired Kenya Railways land in Mombasa.
The accused is also facing charges of falsely claiming in the same WhatsApp post that Mr Abubakar stole containers from the Port of Mombasa, an act which is likely to discredit his reputation.
According to a digital forensic examination report, the accused, who is an employee of Mombasa-based Grain Bulk Company, is alleged to have used the firm's digital equipment to disseminate the falsehoods.
The investigations were extended to the company where a search was conducted and exhibits recovered. Ms Kinzani denied the charges and is out on a Sh300,000 cash bail.
