June 5 \u2013 Kenyan free-speech advocates and lawyers have condemned the prosecution of the author of an unauthorised biography of Kenyan President William Ruto\u2019s daughter.<\/p>\n
Charlene Ruto accused Webster Ochora Elijah of \u201cmisusing\u201d her name by writing the book without first seeking permission from her.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, the author was arrested and charged with impersonation over the book titled Beyond the Name: Charlene Ruto and the Youth Uprising. He pleaded not guilty and was released on bail.<\/p>\n
Ms Ruto told journalists that she had reported the matter to the police and was following legal procedures. She is listed as the complainant on the charge sheet.<\/p>\n
The charge alleges that the accused published the book on or before 22 May, alongside others who are yet to be charged, with intention to defraud.<\/p>\n
The president\u2019s daughter has not complained about the contents of the book, just that it was written without her permission.<\/p>\n
But critics say this is not illegal.<\/p>\n
Politician and lawyer Willis Otieno said to \u201ccriminalise authorship\u201d was misusing the \u201cstate machinery in defence of fragile egos\u201d.<\/p>\n
Literary critic Mbugua Ngunjiri said the author did \u201cnothing wrong\u201d, giving an example of an unauthorised biography of former President Uhuru Kenyatta, in 2014, where the \u201cauthor did not need to consult\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cA million writers can write \u2018her book\u2019 and it will be perfectly legal. The only time Charlene would be justified to go after the author is if he misrepresented her in any way,\u201d he posted on Facebook.<\/p>\n
The president\u2019s daughter told journalists that there was a \u201cbad culture\u201d in Kenya \u201cwhere we misuse people\u2019s names and we get away with it and that is not right\u201d.<\/p>\n
She said the author had not sought permission from her and it did not matter whether the book was \u201cpositive\u201d about her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe gentleman never came to me with a suggestion that he wants to write a book on my behalf and for me that is a misappropriate use of my name,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The self-published book, by a little-known author, aged 25, has not been widely distributed and there is not much publicly available information about its contents. It is not available online.<\/p>\n
His legal team have argued that his work did not constitute a crime. Lawyer Kennedy Mong\u2019are told local media that he had previously written books about public figures, including on veteran politician Raila Odinga and US President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n
Another lawyer, Evan Ondieki, said that high-ranking government figures should expect public scrutiny and that the arrest undermined Kenya\u2019s democratic values.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou cannot be so thick-skinned that the use of your name or image becomes an offence,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n
In April, a secondary school teacher was charged for impersonating another daughter of President Ruto, by pretending to be June Ruto on Facebook.<\/p>\n
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