A man accused of sending a threatening message to a Milimani magistrate has been charged with cyber harassment as the court considers whether he should be released on bond.
Francis Kamau Karanja appeared before Milimani Magistrate Thamara, where he denied the charge under Section 27(1)(a), as read with Section 27(2), of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act.
Karanja is accused of sending a message on September 28, 2026, to a mobile phone number registered in the name of Magistrate Margaret Murage.
The prosecution alleges that the message referred to the handling of a case involving Gabriel Saka and contained words capable of causing fear or apprehension of violence against the judicial officer.
The State opposed his release on bond, arguing that the circumstances were serious because the alleged victim is a judicial officer.
Prosecutors told the court that the message had left the magistrate fearful and allegedly forced her to avoid using her residence and vehicle.
The State asked the court to consider the Judiciary Bail and Bond Policy Guidelines, particularly provisions on protecting victims when deciding whether to grant an accused person bond.
Karanja’s lawyer, Muriithi Mbaabu, asked the court to grant his client reasonable and lenient bail terms.
The defence also raised concerns over the circumstances surrounding Karanja’s arrest, saying he was denied police bail without being told why he had been arrested.
Karanja was taken to Kilimani Police Station on Tuesday but was not presented in court that day.
He was later brought before the Kibera Law Courts on Wednesday, where plea taking was deferred after the prosecution requested that the case be transferred to the Milimani Law Courts.
The Kibera court directed that he be presented before Milimani Court 1, noting that proceeding with the case there could lead to allegations of bias.
The court is expected to rule on Karanja’s bail application on Friday at 11am.
