By Daisy Okanga
A 23-year-old man was arrested in Mwingi by the DCI detectives for misleading the public and causing alarm regarding Coronavirus.
Elijah Muthui Kitonyo will be charged for publishing false information calculated to cause panic, contrary to section 23 of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act 2018.
According to section 23 of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act 2018, the suspect might be liable to a fine not exceeding Ksh5 million or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years or both.
The suspect issued a piece of contrasting information from that of the government about the Coronavirus patient. The government spokesman Cyrus Oguna issued a warning to people spreading fake alerts about coronavirus on social media, yesterday.
The Ministry of Health issued the same warning after a woman through a viral video claimed that she was not quarantined as the government had said. The lady had dismissed the first case of coronavirus which was confirmed on Friday.
The Ministry of Health and office of the Government spokesperson are the only ones to give information about the virus. The government has so far confirmed three cases of Coronavirus in the country.
On Monday, the BBC reported the number of people killed worldwide by the Coronavirus to have exceeded 3,000, as China reported 42 more deaths.
