Man accused of threatening magistrate denied bail

A man accused of sending a threatening message to a Nairobi magistrate will remain in custody pending the hearing of the case.

The trial court denied Francis Kamau Karanja bail, noting there were concerns regarding possible interference with witnesses if he is released on bail.

Mr Kamau was charged with cyber harassment over a message he allegedly sent to a magistrate at the Milimani Law Court.

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He denied the charge of cyber harassment contrary to Section 27(1)(a), as read with Section 27(2), of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act.

According to the charge sheet, Kamau committed the offence on September 28, 2026. It is alleged that he sent a message to the magistrate warning her over a case she was handling. Part of the message stated that he would not stop at anything to ensure justice is done, ‘be warned’.

According to the charge sheet, the message, which allegedly referred to the handling of a case, contained words likely to cause apprehension or fear of violence to the judicial officer.

After denying the charge, the prosecution opposed his application to be released on bond, arguing that the matter was extraordinary because the alleged victim is a judicial officer.

The prosecutor told the court that the magistrate has since been living in fear and has been avoiding her home, especially after the message mentioned her residence.

The prosecution urged the court to consider the Judiciary Bail and Bond Policy Guidelines, particularly the need to protect victims and prevent possible interference with witnesses when determining whether to release an accused person on bail.

Kamau claimed he was arrested without being informed of the reasons for his arrest.

He was initially taken to Kilimani Police Station on Tuesday before he was subsequently presented before the Kibera Law Courts the following day. He did not plead to the charge as the case was transferred to Milimani.

He was eventually charged on Thursday and remanded in custody pending the ruling on his bail application.

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