Cop testifies in 2024 case where Nuru Okanga is accused of asking Gachagua to shoot Ruto
Police Constable Milton Mwanzi, attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters, informed the court he was instructed to arrest Nuru Maloba Okanga on June 11, 2024.
Appearing before Milimani Principal Magistrate Rose Ndombi on August 21, 2025, Constable Mwanzi told the court that on that day, he was informed by his senior that the man they were supposed to arrest was in the Tassia area, Embakasi, within Nairobi County.
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According to Mwanzi, the order of arrest came after a video of Nuru circulated on social media showing him telling the former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who at that time was still the sitting Deputy President, to shoot President William Ruto.
The officer told the court that in the said video, Nuru said that Gachagua should use his past experience to silence the President, who, according to the accused, was disturbing him.
“Your honour, I had been told that Nuru was seen in a certain video that was circulating on social media platforms, among them being TikTok, and in the same video he had been recorded addressing members of the public while saying that the former Deputy President, but by then he was the Deputy President, should use his experience as a former District Commissioner and shoot the current president since he was disturbing him,” Constable Mwanzi told the court.
Constable Mwanzi told the court that upon monitoring Nuru’s movement, they managed to apprehend him after he had just entered a certain barber shop within a place called B Centre.
They later escorted him to the DCI headquarters, where he handed him over to the investigative team for further processing and interrogation.
During cross-examination, the defence team, led by lawyers Babu Owino and Shadrach Wambui, asked the officer whether he knew who the complainant was, and in his reply, he said he was not aware.
“You have mentioned the president several times; is he the complainant?” lawyer Babu Owino asked.
Constable Mwanzi said that the question could only be answered by the investigative officer in the matter.
Charge sheet
According to the charge sheet, Nuru is accused of publishing false information contrary to section 23 of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act No. 5 of 2018.
“On diverse dates between June 7 and 10, 2024, at an unknown place within the Republic of Kenya, jointly with others not before the court, knowingly and unlawfully published false, defamatory and threatening information online, while using the TikTok account dubbed ‘Riba News @ribanews’ and the Siasa TV KE backup and the YouTube channel/Google website account dubbed ‘RIBA NEWS @ribanews’, posted a captioned video to wit, ‘Nuru Okanga Rigathi Gachagua Piga Ruto Risasi’,” part of the charge sheet read.
Further, the prosecution states that the said statements were well calculated to cause fear and panic among the citizens of Kenya and destroy the reputation of the executive leadership of the Republic of Kenya.
In the second count, the prosecution stated that on June 12, 2024, while at an unknown place jointly with others not in court, they knowingly and unlawfully published false, defamatory and threatening information online while using the TikTok account dubbed Siasa_tv__backup and posted a captioned video, to wit, “Pilot wa Ruto adungwe shindani”, causing fear and panic among citizens of Kenya and destroying the reputation of the executive leaders of Kenya.
On the third count, the accused is charged with providing telecommunication services without a valid licence, contrary to section 24 of the Kenya Information and Communication Act No. 2 of 1998, CAP. 411A, 2022.
Nuru is said to have published the said videos, which was in contravention of the provision of an issued valid licence.
The hearing was adjourned until October 2, 2025; the court directed that the remaining witness should attend court without fail.
“Case adjourned to October 2, 2025; the remaining witness to attend court without fail,” Magistrate Ndombi ordered.
