Man charged with impersonating Charlene Ruto freed on Sh50,000 cash bail

A man accused of impersonating Charlene Ruto by publishing a book without her consent was on Tuesday arraigned.

Webster Ochora Elijah was charged with impersonation, contrary to Section 382(1) of the Penal Code, for allegedly falsely presenting himself as Charlene Ruto.

Principal Magistrate Geoffrey Onsarigo granted the accused a cash bail of Sh50,000 with two contact persons.

According to charge sheet, between an unknown date and May 22, 2025, Ochora, acting alone or with others, operated under the name Zawadi Publishers and with intent to defraud, authored and circulated a book titled, 'Beyond the name: Charlene Ruto and the youth uprising' falsely attributing it to Charlene.

He was arrested without a warrant on May 30, 2025.

Charlene is listed as both the complainant and a key witness in the case, whereby CPL A Hussein is also a witness.

Ochora's lawyer told the court that his client had cooperated with investigators.

“He surrendered a confidential manuscript, signed an inventory, and two hours later, was unlawfully detained and held for four days,” the advocate said.

“He is a student and a creative. We urge the court to consider a free bond,” the lawyer added.

The prosecution did not oppose the bond request and confirmed that all evidentiary materials would be shared with the defense.

The matter will be mentioned on June 17, 2025, for further directions.