KENYAN ACTIVIST CHARGED WITH CYBERCRIME

Social media-savvy Kenyan lawyer and activist Morara Kebaso is out on bail after authorities charged him on 1 October with cyber harassment for alleging on X (formerly Twitter) that President William Ruto bought a businessman's properties at below-market prices in allegedly corrupt dealings.

Scores of Kenyans cheered in the streets when the court released Kebaso on a $387 cash bail. He is due back in court on 4 October.

The 28-year-old has gained a massive social media following for filming himself touring unfinished government projects, such as a stadium, a housing complex and a nursing school, in an attempt to expose Ruto's misuse of public funds in a country burdened with $82 billion in foreign debt and International Monetary Fund-backed economic policies stripping social services.

Kebaso has become one of the more recognisable faces of Kenya's politically-conscious youth, who have challenged Western-aligned Ruto over proposed tax hikes, poor governance and corruption. From June to August, police k*lled over 50 people during youth-led protests. Since then, Kebaso and like-minded activists have switched tactics from street protests to countrywide civic education using publicly-raised funds.