Kenya police have taken to Twitter in an effort to gain the population's trust but their handling of the arrest of a high-profile blogger has instead brought on the fury of public opinion. On March 4, the official Twitter account of The Directorate of Criminal Investigations—Kenya @DCI_Kenya published a thread confirming the arrest of blogger Edgar Obare, for allegedly seeking to defraud and extort 10,000 U.S. dollars from a Kenyan politician. In a Twitter thread that contained a series of salacious posts, including photos of the blogger and his alleged accomplice, the DCI accused Obare of outright blackmail. The posts alleged that he was a serial fraudster: In a case of outright blackmail by fraudsters who intend to benefit financially from prominent personalities, by tainting their images online & demanding money not to post ‘scandalous’ information about them, detectives have once again arrested serial fraudster, Edgar Obare. pic.twitter.com/9jiJQXQpdn — DCI KENYA (@DCI_Kenya) March 4, 2021 His actions were deemed by the DCI, via the same Twitter thread, to be in violation of Section 23 of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act, 2018, which states that; A person who knowingly publishes information that is false in print, broadcast, data or over a computer system, that is calculated or results in panic, chaos, or violence among citizens of the Republic, or which is likely to discredit the reputation of a person commits an offence and shall on conviction, be liable to a fine not exceeding five million shillings or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years, or to both. If charged and convicted, Obare could face up to 10 years in prison. This current arrest is not Obare’s first brush with Kenyan authorities, however. In July 2020, he was arrested and questioned for his titillating exposés of scandals involving well-known Kenyan personalities shared via his Instagram Stories. Since Section 23's assent into law in May 2018, many bloggers have been arrested and charged under the Act for alleged hate speech, spreading false information about the COVID-19 pandemic, or criticizing the government online. According to Bowmanslaw.com, the Bloggers Association of Kenya (BAKE) filed a petition in the High Court challenging the constitutionality of 26 sections of the Act, including Section 23, prior to the commencement of the Act. BAKE argued that the Act infringed on freedom of expression and the right to privacy. In February 2020, the petition was dismissed and the suspension on the contested sections lifted. The Bloggers Association of Kenya (BAKE) case challenging the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, 2018 has been dismissed after High Court Judge James Makau declared that the law is valid in its entirety. https://t.co/qhTvv9wfkJ#CybercrimesLawke — BAKE Kenya ?? (@BakeKenya) February 20, 2020 Although BAKE has since appealed the ruling, the effect is already being felt. Bloggers and internet users have faced increasing intimidation and violence for their online activities in recent years. As the country heads to a presidential election next year, there have been similar cases of Kenyan bloggers and social media users being arrested under the Act for spreading false information about politicians. With over a year to go until August 2022 when Kenya goes to the polls, there are already increased concerns over the spread of misinformation on social media which analysts say could undermine democracy. Kenyans on Twitter expressed their anger following the publication of the thread and accused the DCI of intimidation and framing Obare.