NAIROBI, Kenya — A Nairobi court has dismissed the case filed against web developer and activist Rose Njeri, citing a fundamentally defective charge sheet.
The ruling, delivered by Milimani Principal Magistrate Geoffrey Onsaringo, concluded that the particulars presented by the prosecution failed to meet the necessary legal threshold to constitute a valid charge.
Njeri had been out on a Ksh 100,000 personal bond, awaiting the court’s determination on whether she would face trial for alleged unauthorised interference with a computer system.
She had been accused of violating Section 16 of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, which criminalises such interference.
However, the magistrate decisively ruled that the charge, as framed, could not proceed.
The web developer found herself at the centre of national attention last month following her arrest on allegations of cybercrime.
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Authorities had claimed she was responsible for developing a digital platform intended to collect public feedback on the 2025 Finance Bill—an application that purportedly disrupted parliamentary email systems.
Speaking to Vivid Voice News, Njeri described her arrest as ridiculous, but affirmed that the experience had only strengthened her resolve. She recounted being trailed by officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and apprehended during a graduation ceremony in Nairobi’s Industrial Area.
Subsequently, she was taken to her home, where detectives conducted a search and seized various electronic and digital devices.
Her case had drawn sharp reactions from various civil society groups, who argued that it reflected a troubling trend of increasing crackdown on civic tech and online activism within Kenya.