Kenyan free-speech campaigners and attorneys have decried the arrest of the author of an unauthorised biography of Kenyan President William Ruto’s daughter.
Charlene Ruto accused Webster Ochora Elijah of “misusing” her name by writing the book without first obtaining her permission.
On Tuesday, the author was detained and charged with impersonation for the book Beyond the Name: Charlene Ruto and the Youth Uprising. He pleaded not guilty and was released on bond.
Ms Ruto told journalists she had reported the incident to the police and was following legal procedures. She is named as the complainant on the charging sheet.
The charge states that the accused published the book on or before May 22, together with others who have yet to be charged, with the purpose to deceive.
The president’s daughter has not objected to the book’s substance but rather that it was published without her permission. However, critics argue that this is not prohibited.
Willis Otieno, a politician and lawyer, stated that criminalising writing was a misuse of the “state machinery in defence of fragile egos”.
Literary critic Mbugua Ngunjiri stated that the author did “nothing wrong”, citing an unauthorised biography of former President Uhuru Kenyatta published in 2014, in which the “author did not need to consult”.
“A million writers can write ‘her book’, and it will be perfectly legal. The only time Charlene would be justified to go after the author is if he misrepresented her in any way,” he posted on Facebook.
The president’s daughter told journalists that there was a “bad culture” in Kenya “where we misuse people’s names and we get away with it, and that is not right”.
She mentioned that the author had not sought permission from her, and it did not matter whether the book was “positive” about her.
“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,” she said.
The self-published book, by a little-known 25-year-old author, has not been widely circulated, and little information about its contents is publicly available. It’s not available online.
His legal team claimed that his work did not constitute a crime. Lawyer Kennedy Mong’are informed local media that he had previously published books about famous figures such as veteran politician Raila Odinga and US President Donald Trump.
Another lawyer, Evan Ondieki, stated that high-ranking government officials should expect public scrutiny and that the arrest jeopardised Kenya’s democratic principles.
“You cannot be so thick-skinned that the use of your name or image becomes an offence,” he stated.
In April, a secondary school teacher was charged with impersonating another daughter of President Ruto by posing as June Ruto on Facebook.
Charlene Ruto is a well-known figure who has previously been compared to Ivanka Trump, the US president’s daughter.
She has frequently appeared as a guest at public events, having previously interacted with officials from throughout the country and attended international forums.
In 2022, she disputed that public funds were being used to support the “Office of the First Daughter”.
The court case has raised worries about constraints on free expression, especially in light of the recent detention of software engineer Rose Njeri.
Njeri was arrested on Friday for developing a program to help citizens protest the government’s yearly budget bill.
She was charged with cybercrime and computer abuse on Tuesday and released on bail until June 20, when the court will decide whether she will face the accusations.
She has recently praised Kenyans for speaking out against her “ludicrous” arrest and detention.
