By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Ms Charlene, daughter of Kenya’s President, William Ruto, has accused an author, Webster Ochora Elijah, of “misusing” her name by writing her biography without first seeking her permission.
On Tuesday, the author was arrested and charged with impersonation over the book titled “Beyond the Name: Charlene Ruto and the Youth Uprising”.
He, however, pleaded not guilty and was released on bail. The President’s daughter has not complained about the content of the book but only that her consent was not sought.
Free-speech advocates and lawyers in the East African country have condemned Elijah’s arrest and prosecution, absolving him of violating any rule.
Ms Ruto told journalists that she had reported the matter to the police and was following legal procedures.
She said there was a “bad culture” in Kenya “where we misuse people’s names and we get away with it, and that is not right”.
She said the author had not sought permission from her, and it did not matter whether the book was “positive” about her.
“The gentleman never came to me with a suggestion that he wants to write a book on my behalf, and for me that is a misappropriate use of my name,” she said.
Politician and lawyer Willis Otieno said to “criminalise authorship” was misusing the “state machinery in defence of fragile egos”.
Literary critic Mbugua Ngunjiri said the author did “nothing wrong”, giving an example of an unauthorised biography of former President Uhuru Kenyatta, in 2014, where the “author did not need to consult”.
“A million writers can write ‘her book’ and it will be perfectly legal. The only time Charlene would be justified to go after the author is if he misrepresented her in any way,” he posted on Facebook.
The work of the 25-year-old little-known author has not been widely distributed and not much information is in the public about its content. It is not available online.
His legal team has argued that his work did not constitute a crime. Lawyer Kennedy Mong’are told local media that he had previously written books about public figures, including veteran politician Raila Odinga and US President Donald Trump.
Charlene Ruto is a high-profile figure who has in the past been likened to a version of Ivanka Trump, daughter of the US President.
In 2022, she denied that public money was being used to fund what she called the “Office of the First Daughter”.
