Passaris told off over comments on man charged with impersonating Ruto on X

Esther Passaris has been told off by Kenyans after wading into the controversy surrounding a 22-year-old man accused of impersonating President William Ruto on social media.

The Nairobi Woman Representative took to her online platform on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, to comment on the arrest of Titus Wekesa Sifuna, who was charged with publishing false information through a parody account on X.

“Freedom of speech is a right,” Passaris wrote. “But freedom without wisdom becomes recklessness.” Her remarks quickly lit a fire online.

Freedom of speech is a right. But freedom without wisdom becomes recklessness.

The DCI charged Sifuna with publishing false information, an offense under Section 23 of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act No. 5 of 2018. This law prohibits the dissemination of false… https://t.co/1K1DQjOIT9

— Esther Muthoni Passaris (@EstherPassaris) April 23, 2025

She went on to defend the charges brought against Sifuna under Section 23 of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act No. 5 of 2018, noting that the law exists to guard against information that could incite chaos, stir panic, or damage reputations.

“Titus Wekesa Sifuna is more than his mistakes,” she added. “But his mistakes must teach him something. He will own them. He will grow from them… Being young is not a licence for recklessness, but a call to responsibility.”

But for many Kenyans online, her sentiments came off as tone-deaf, even hypocritical.

“Oh please, Passaris,” Victor Kiprotich, said. “Spare us the lectures. You shout accountability when it’s a tweet, but when public funds vanish or land is grabbed, you all go silent—or worse, bring out tear gas.”

Irungu Macharia, quipped, “So citizens should be jailed over tweets, but politicians like you get a free pass? That’s your version of accountability?”

The backlash continued with users like Adera Jacob and Wasikeh accusing Passaris of moral grandstanding and selective application of justice.

Sifuna, a young man from Bungoma County, is now staring at serious cybercrime charges after he allegedly ran a parody account using President Ruto’s image.

The account, under the alias “I Must Go,” claimed the Head of State was planning to resign under pressure, a narrative that authorities say posed a threat to national stability.

Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) told the Milimani Law Courts that the posts gave Kenyans “false hope” and could have stirred ethnic tension.

The presidency, they argued, is a national symbol that must be treated with respect.

DCI officer Peter Mwangi said that the digital footprint led back to Sifuna, who had used his National ID to register the SIM card linked to the account.

During the arrest, police seized electronic devices from his home for forensic analysis.

The case has since raised broader questions about the balance between digital freedom and political sensitivity in Kenya, and whether leaders are truly held to the same standards of accountability they demand from citizens.