The court will determine the way forward in the alleged false publication case linked to remarks about President William Ruto.
Harrison was arraigned on January 5 and charged with publishing false information, an offence under Section 22 of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, which criminalises the dissemination of false, misleading or fictitious content likely to cause panic, alarm or undermine public confidence.
The prosecution alleges that the contested statements were circulated through various social media platforms.
Harrison denied the charges and pleaded not guilty before the trial court.
Chief Magistrate Dolphina Alego granted the accused release on a cash bail of Sh500,000 or an alternative bond of Sh1 million pending further directions in the matter.
MP Salasya hate speech case
The hate speech case against Mumias East Member of Parliament Peter Salasya is set to proceed to full hearing.
This is after reconciliation efforts before the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) failed.
The case arises from statements Salasya is alleged to have made during political engagements in Meru and Isiolo counties, as well as along a travel route towards Nanyuki.
The prosecution claims the remarks amounted to hate speech, contrary to the law.
The MP has denied the charges and is currently out on a Sh200,000 cash bail.
Earlier, the court had allowed an application by the prosecution to refer the matter to the NCIC for review, with a view to exploring dialogue and reconciliation.
The prosecution argued that the Commission’s involvement could help resolve the dispute amicably.
However, the alternative dispute resolution process collapsed after the term of the NCIC commissioners expired before conciliation talks could commence.
According to a previous gazette notice, there were impending vacancies in the membership of the Commission arising from the anticipated expiry of the six-year non-renewable term of office of the current members with effect from November 17, 2025.
During a mention before Senior Resident Magistrate Paul Mutai at the Milimani Law Courts, State Prosecutor Virginia Kariuki informed the court that the Commission was no longer operational and could not undertake the dialogue process earlier sanctioned by the court.
Magistrate Mutai observed that the matter had remained pending for several weeks awaiting the outcome of the referral and ruled that the court could not continue to rely on an institution that was no longer functional.
He subsequently directed that the case proceed to a full hearing without further delay, setting today as the hearing date.
The trial is expected to commence today.
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