Sports CS Rashid Echesa has been summoned to appear at the KICC Police Station, as investigations into alleged fake nude photos take center stage.
The CS has been accused of trying to frame Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala with fake nude photographs.
In a letter, send to Echesa and seen by this writer, a detective based at the KICC police station identified as Dorothy Okoth has asked the CS to appear at the police station tomorrow (26th October) at 10 am.
“I have reason to believe that you have information which may assist me in my investigations over the alleged cyber crime act.” Reads part of the letter.
The CS has been warned that failure to comply with the requisition may lead to his arrest.
Rashid, a self-professed ally of Deputy President William Ruto reportedly paid some three journalists to photoshop Malala’s image to portray him in a compromising situation with a non-existent woman.
Three journalists – David Ndolo, Stafford Ondego and Alex Njue – alleged to be Achesa’s hatchet men, were arrested on Tuesday evening and locked up at KICC police station.
According to police, the three are accused of taking Senator Malala’s photo image, cropping off the head, placing an unrelated naked body and juxtaposing it next to a nude woman.
The strategy was to flood the Internet with the pornographic pictures in a bid to tarnish Malala’s reputation, especially in Kakamega, where their supremacy battles have played out openly.
The vocal Malala, a close ally of Opposition chief Raila Odinga has been chiding Rashid, a former ODM national youth leader, as a Standard 7 drop-out who does not understand his work as CS.
The “Yesterday in some social media network there was demeaning photos of the CS in an unknown lodging with a woman in compromising situations. When those went viral Rashid looked for journalists whom he sent the photos and told them to Photoshop and replace them with me and release them online. Because I have acumen on intelligence I was able to round up those journalists with the help of police,” Malala told reporters in Parliament yesterday.
Malala said the images were to be used by Rashid to carry out a character assassination campaign.
According to the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act enacted in May this year, anyone who knowingly spreads false information electronically is liable to Sh5 million fine upon conviction.
Sharing pornography through various electronic means is punishable by a maximum fine of Sh300,000 or 30 years in prison or both.
Those who intentionally publish false, misleading or fictitious data, or misinform — with intent that it shall be considered or acted upon as authentic, with or without any financial gain — commit an offence.
The law prescribes stiff penalties for false publications, child pornography, computer forgery, cyberstalking and cyberbullying — likely offences the three journalists and the CS could be charged with should the case proceed to court.