Japheth Mulewa when he appeared before a Malindi court on Wednesday, August 16, 2017. [Photo/ nation.co.ke]
A Malindi court has permitted the detention of a WhatsApp group admin accused of sharing hate messages.
Japheth Mulewa is accused of sharing messages threatening violence against certain communities in the Coast region.The court’s decision comes after police sought orders to detain Mulewa pending investigations after he was arrested in Malindi on Tuesday.Police Constable James Muyes told Resident Magistrate Yvonne Khatambi that the accused has been distributing messages that may cause panic on the social media platform."The written material distributed through the WhatsApp groups would cause panic to the members of the public during this electioneering period,” read his affidavit in part.Muyes said police need more time to retrieve the messages from the suspect’s phone before the hearing of the case. The phone was forwarded to the Cyber crime Unit for data analysis.Prosecution Counsel Alice Mathangani objected the release of the accused on bond, arguing that he is likely to escape. The accused, who is being detained at Malindi Police Station, is also wanted by police in Mombasa over a similar offence.