Kenya's Directorate of Criminal Investigations has rejected a fraudulent document circulating online that warned citizens against investing in a firm called Opticoin. The fake notice bore government logos and claimed the company operated a Ponzi scheme, but the DCI marked it as false information on social media.
The incident follows President William Ruto's signing of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Amendment Act on Oct. 15. The legislation increases penalties for cyber harassment and false information distribution to 10 years imprisonment or 5 million shillings. Severe online fraud offenses now carry sentences of 20 years or fines reaching 10 million shillings.
The law grants the National Computer and Cybercrimes Coordination Committee authority to remove digital content without court approval. Civil society organizations have expressed concern that unclear provisions might target journalists, but experts recommend that platform operators comply with regulations and train staff on data handling.
