Human rights activist Boniface Mwangi has won big following a ruling delivered on Monday afternoon.
The High Court dismissed a case by a petitioner who sought to compel the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to have Mwangi prosecuted for messages he posted against Deputy President William Ruto.
Victor Yegon had moved to court seeking orders for the DPP and Directorate of Criminal Investigation to charge Mr Mwangi for allegedly propagating hate speech and posting defamatory messages.
He further accused the vocal activist of breach of public peace, asking that he be barred from publishing more of such statements on social media.
“Mwangi’s conduct should not go unpunished. His actions are enough evidence that the offence of hate speech and public peace has arisen and should not be left without legal consequence,” Yegon stated through his lawyer.
The complainant, for instance, cited previous demonstrations when Mwangi poured blood-like liquid to police spokesman Charles Owino, a move he said was punishable.
Yegon filed the application in the midst of an ongoing case where both Ruto and Mwangi have sued each other for defamation.
In the first case, the Deputy President took Mwangi to court over a tweet he made accusing him (Ruto) of having a hand in the death of businessman Jacob Juma.
The DP gave the activist a seven-day ultimatum to apologise and delete the message which he failed to, prompting Ruto’s legal team to head to court.
On the other hand, the photojournalist filed a defence and counter-accusation suing for damages, claiming that Ruto called him a drunkard.
-kenyans.co.ke
