A Nairobi court has issued a warrant of arrest for Joseph Gitonga, widely known as Gitonga Archives, following his failure to appear for a criminal hearing involving a Ksh 500,000 extortion allegation.
Gitonga is accused of demanding the money from Amos Hunja Mwangi, a media service provider associated with a bank, in exchange for removing a controversial TikTok video.
Details of the Case
- The alleged offence occurred between July 20 and July 27, 2025, within Nairobi County.
- The video in question claimed that Ksh 1.6 billion had been stolen from a bank account.
- The prosecution contends Gitonga threatened to continue publishing damaging content about the bank unless the payment was made.
- Gitonga denies the charges and previously pleaded not guilty.
- He was released on a Ksh 50,000 cash bail or Ksh 100,000 bond.
Legal Proceedings and Court Orders
- Magistrate Grace Ouko issued the arrest warrant after Gitonga and his lawyer failed to attend the scheduled hearing.
- The case has been adjourned to October 1, 2026, when Gitonga is expected to appear in court.
- The prosecution raised concerns about Gitonga's social media activity, leading to a court-imposed gag order preventing him from discussing the case publicly.
