Embakasi East MP Babu Owino announced plans to summon President William Ruto as a key witness in the trial of activist Nuru Okanga. The move came amid frustrations over prosecution delays outside a Nairobi court on November 24, 2025. Owino argued that Ruto, as the complainant, must appear for the case to proceed.
On Monday, November 24, 2025, Babu Owino, the Member of Parliament for Embakasi East, addressed reporters outside a Nairobi court alongside a team of 26 lawyers representing Nuru Okanga. The group expressed irritation at the prosecution's repeated delays, including the absence of an expert witness reportedly unavailable due to travel to China.
Owino invoked the principle that 'justice delayed is justice denied,' accusing the prosecution of using tactics to avoid defeat. 'Our client is suffering, he travelled from Mumias to Nairobi on his own cost to find prosecution is not ready,' he stated. He further claimed, 'These are signs that the state has already lost this case. We want the prosecution to present a main witness who is the complainant in this matter, who is President Ruto. We want him to come to court.'
Okanga faces charges of publishing false, defamatory, and threatening information on social media. Prosecutors allege he posted a TikTok video containing remarks urging the then-deputy president to take violent action against the president. The video gained widespread attention, leading to Okanga's arrest in Tasia Estate, Nairobi, in January.
During cross-examination, arresting officer Milton Mwanzi admitted he lacked expertise to verify the video's authenticity and had no cybercrime investigation skills. He also confirmed no court orders were obtained to track Okanga's movements, and no devices were seized at the time of arrest.
Owino emphasized that the case cannot advance without the complainant's testimony, identifying President Ruto in that role. The legal team plans to file an application on Tuesday to compel Ruto's appearance as a state witness, with Owino stating, 'The DCI cannot complain, and prosecutors cannot complain, and that is the next application we will be making.'
This development highlights ongoing tensions in high-profile cases involving political figures and free speech in Kenya.