DCI Arrests TikToker Over False Claims of Ksh 3.5 Million MP Assassination Plot
A photo of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Headquater in Nairobi, Kenya
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has arrested a popular TikTok content creator accused of spreading false information about an alleged Ksh 3.5 million assassination plot targeting a Nairobi Member of Parliament. The arrest, confirmed by DCI on Friday evening, followed a detailed investigation into a viral video that sparked widespread public concern and debate across social media platforms.
DCI reports have it that the suspect was arrested in Malindi on his hideout after observing his movements. He is in the police custody awaiting arraignment. According to detectives, the arrest was attributed to the production and release of misleading contents in the social media, which they alleged that constituted the spread of false information that is likely to cause panic among the people.
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The scandal was fuelled with the TikToker publishing a video on October 20, 2025, that he had been offered Ksh 3.5 million by a high-ranking government official to kill a prominent legislator. In the video, he claimed that the conspiracy had political overtures and had a relationship with the assassination of a former Prime Minister, Raila Odinga. He also implied that the targeted MP was being barred to emerge as a new political spokesperson after the death of Raila.
The content producer, also, stated that he had turned down the offer and that he had only meant to alert Kenyans on the provision of the possible danger, and to call on the authorities to offer security to the legislator. But his video went viral rapidly and got criticism and concern of the people because it was serious in nature and at such a time.
The TikToker was able to do a follow-up video after days of viral circulation, confessing that his previous statements were fake. He clarified that the first one was just supposed to be content creation and not premised on an actual incident. Nevertheless, the law enforcement officials went ahead to arrest him even after his clarification, underlining the fact that it is a criminal offense in the Kenyan law to make and distribute false information that may create fear or confusion among others.
To date, the targeted MP, as well as government officials, did not make any public remarks on the alleged plot. Nevertheless, when the funeral of Raila Odinga was underway, the MP is reported to have raised his apprehensions about the possibility of an attack on him, but he failed to identify the people behind this attack.
The episode has sparked the debate once again concerning the accountability of social media users in Kenya and the increased power of content creators on the internet to shape popular discourse. It also highlights the growing alertness of the government in checking online platforms of misinformation and bad content.
This is a continuation of the first instance where the users of Tik Tok in Kenya have encountered legal repercussions as a result of online action. In July, TikToker and businessman Kan Maiyo of the city was arrested because of publishing an alleged video that fueled the masses against the police officers.
The most recent move of the DCI has followed the passing of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrime (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which provides greater efficacy to the punitive consequences of disseminating untrue information on the internet, and it allows law enforcement agencies to investigate and convict cyber-crime more effectively. The act is meant to contain cyber abuse, maintain societal order and enhance responsible usage of social media sites.
The case is a wake-up call to the thinness of the boundary between online expression and misinformation, and what legal consequences the creators of the content might face once they cross it.
