The DCI has arrested a TikToker who claimed that he was offered Ksh3.5 million to assassinate a well-known Nairobi Member of Parliament.
In a statement issued Friday night, the DCI said the content creator had been arrested in Malindi after detectives tracked his location. He is currently in police custody pending arraignment.
According to the investigators, the suspect was arrested for allegedly publishing false and misleading information on his TikTok page.
His arrest comes days after a video he posted on October 20 went viral. In that clip, he claimed that a senior government official had approached him with an offer to eliminate the MP.
The TikToker further connected the said plot to the demise of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, suggesting that the hit was meant to prevent the legislator from becoming the new spokesperson for a section of Kenyans.
In a subsequent video, however, the TikToker took it all back, saying his claims were fabricated and it was all “just content” meant to entertain people.
The legislator and government officials have not released any official statements concerning the issue despite the viral video.
The same MP had, at the Raila Odinga funeral, insinuated threats to his safety, claiming there was a plot to have goons attack him, though he did not name those involved.
This is not the first time that TikTokers find themselves on the wrong side of the law. In July, Nairobi businessman and social media content creator Kan Maiyo was arrested over a viral video that allegedly incited the public against police officers.
The arrest also comes in the wake of the recently approved Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Amendment Bill, 2024, that is aimed at tightening regulations on online content and penalizing the dissemination of false information.