Rose Njeri: Digital activist, mother who’s rattling Ruto
By Sheila Mutua and Cynthia Atuo, June 4, 2025It started with an innocent gesture of activism.
“I wrote a simple programme that lets you reject the Finance Bill 2025 with just one click. Click below to send your objection,” Rose Njeri Tunguru wrote in a tweet.
That statement was enough to get her arrested and detained for three days before being paraded in court to face cybercrime charges.
The tweet was also potent enough to rattle President William Ruto’s administration, which swiftly had her arrested.
Key opposition figures packed the Milimani Law Courts to defend Njeri, who was freed on a Ksh100,000 bond.
The legal team representing the digital activist and software developer fiercely opposed the cybercrime charges brought against her, arguing that the charges lacked legal merit and violated her constitutional rights, rendering them defective.
Njeri was arrested on Friday, May 30, 2025, by officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), who stated in the police charge sheet dated June 3, 2025, that her digital platform interfered with the operations of the National’s Assembly’s Finance Committee by sending mass emails that disrupted regular processes.
However, the defence maintained that Njeri’s actions fell squarely within her constitutional rights to freedom of expression and public participation – particularly in the context of the ongoing public debate surrounding the Finance Bill 2025.
“The charge sheet presented to us gives particulars of an offence related to an email sent to the Finance Committee at parliament.go.ke,” lawyer Eric Theuri said in court.
He added that the email address was created specifically to receive public memoranda on the Finance Bill.
“Any member of the public engaging with that platform cannot be criminalised for doing so,” he stated.
The defence team was led by senior counsel Kalonzo Musyoka and former Chief Justice David Maraga, who argued that the charges were vague and not anchored in any clear provision of Kenyan law.
They petitioned the court to dismiss the case and release Njeri on a personal bond, also calling for the immediate return of her confiscated electronic devices.
Misuse of power
Maraga called Njeri’s prosecution a worrying misuse of State power.
“What Rose has done is promote civic awareness by leveraging technology to help citizens understand and engage with the Finance Bill,” he said.
“Instead of being charged, she should be applauded. This is a disturbing trend – arresting individuals on Fridays, holding them over the weekend, and eventually dropping the charges. We urge the court to dismiss this case and release her,” he added.
Njeri, 35, is a software developer and digital activist. She holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce and has taken digital innovation training from Alt Africa and Harvard Online.
She participated in a four-month training programme with SheCodes to enhance her skills in technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
The activist says she leverages technology to promote civic engagement and transparency.
She has always been vocal on social issues, including femicide in Kenya, the rights of Palestinians, the killings of Gen Z protesters in the 2024 demonstrations, and most recently, the Finance Bill 2025, earning her a prominent place in digital activism.
The tech specialist developed a website designed to simplify public participation by allowing Kenyans to automatically submit their objections to the Finance Bill 2025 with just one click.
The mother of two believes that “activism is not a crime; dictatorship and incompetence are crimes”
Veteran lawyer John Khaminwa also addressed the court in defence of Njeri, describing her continued detention as a grave violation of her rights.
“Njeri has young children who have now been left alone. She is innocent,” Khaminwa said.
Khaminwa described his visit to Njeri on Saturday, May 31, 2025, at Pangani Police Station, where he met the station commander and the deputy.
‘No one to help’
He told Magistrate Geoffrey Onsarigo that the officers told him there was nothing they could do and referred him to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations headquarters.
“To my surprise, no one was available to assist. I called the Director of Criminal Investigations himself, and again, there was no response. Only this court can uphold justice now,” Khaminwa said.
He urged the magistrate not to allow State institutions to take the Judiciary for granted, adding: “In view of these grave violations of human rights, this charge should be thrown out.”
Advocate Ndegwa Njiru, also appearing for the defence, argued that the government was using the criminal justice system to suppress public debate on the Finance Bill.
However, State Counsel Victor Owiti opposed the defence’s application to dismiss the charge sheet, asserting that the court lacked jurisdiction to address alleged human rights violations.
“This court does not have the jurisdiction to enforce constitutional rights. That power lies with the High Court,” Owiti submitted.
Bail issue
He cited Section 134 of the Criminal Procedure Code, stressing that a valid charge must include a clear statement of the offence and its particulars.
Owiti further argued that the charges against Njeri were based on Section 16 of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act and that the particulars had been sufficiently laid out.
“There is an offence recognised in law,” he stated. “We do not dispute that the defence may have legitimate concerns about human rights violations, but those must be addressed in the High Court.”
Owiti clarified that the State was not opposed to Njeri being released on cash bail.
Magistrate Onsarigo is expected to rule on the admissibility of the charges and Njeri’s bail application in the coming days.