Kenyan author lands in court over book on President Ruto’s daughter

A 25-year-old Kenyan author, Francis Odee Webster Ochora Elijah, has been charged with impersonation after writing an unauthorised biography of Charlene Ruto, daughter of President William Ruto, triggering widespread outrage among legal and free speech advocates.

According to reports, Elijah appeared in court on Tuesday, June 3, 2025 and pleaded not guilty to the charges stemming from his self-published book titled “Beyond the Name: Charlene Ruto and the Youth Uprising.”

He was later released on bail.

The prosecution alleges Elijah and unnamed accomplices published the book without Charlene’s permission “with intent to defraud.”

However, no evidence has surfaced suggesting any actual fraud or misrepresentation.

The complaint solely hinges on the lack of permission from the president’s daughter.

Charlene Ruto confirmed she reported the matter to police and insists the use of her name without consent is unacceptable.

“It’s a bad culture in Kenya where we misuse people’s names and get away with it. That is not right,” she told journalists.

But critics are pushing back hard. Lawyers, politicians, and writers have condemned the arrest and court proceedings, warning it represents an assault on creative freedom and democratic space.

“This is an abuse of state machinery to defend fragile egos,” said Kenyan lawyer Willis Otieno, who described the charge as an attack on authorship itself. “To criminalise writing is dangerous.”

Mbugua Ngunjiri, a literary critic, said authors do not require permission to write about public figures, citing a 2014 biography of former President Uhuru Kenyatta that was published without his consent.

“A million writers can write her book and it will be perfectly legal,” he wrote on Facebook.

Charlene Ruto has not challenged the content of the book.

Her complaint is entirely about the use of her name without prior consultation.

“Whether the book is positive or not is irrelevant,” she said.

The book has not been widely distributed, nor is it available online.

Elijah’s legal team insists the work is legal and poses no harm.

Lawyer Kennedy Mong’are said Elijah had previously written books about high-profile figures including Raila Odinga and Donald Trump.

“This is not impersonation. It is expression,” said another lawyer, Evan Ondieki, warning that criminalising commentary on public figures undermines democracy.

“You cannot be so thick-skinned that the use of your name or image becomes an offence,” he said.

Charlene Ruto has long been a prominent figure in Kenya’s youth and civic spaces, often compared to Ivanka Trump due to her public engagements and diplomatic appearances.

In 2022, she denied claims of running a publicly funded office under the title First Daughter.

The prosecution of Elijah comes amid growing concern about shrinking civic freedoms in Kenya.

Just last week, software developer Rose Njeri was arrested for building a digital tool that allowed Kenyans to oppose the government’s 2025 finance bill.

She was later charged with cybercrime and released on bail.

Observers warn that Kenya is sliding toward state censorship, using criminal law to silence dissent and discourage public scrutiny of government figures.

“The message being sent is clear—don’t speak unless you’re authorised. But that’s not democracy,” said one Nairobi-based activist.

The court is expected to revisit Elijah’s case in coming weeks, but critics argue that the damage to Kenya’s free expression reputation has already been done.

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