TikToker Joseph Gitonga Kihanya, alias Gitonga Archives, is set to undergo a mental assessment at Kenyatta National Hospital after a court ordered the evaluation following his arrest for failing to attend proceedings in a criminal case against him.
City Court Magistrate Grace Ouko directed that Gitonga be taken to KNH for the assessment after he was brought before the court following his arrest in Nakuru.
The arrest followed a warrant issued after Gitonga failed to appear before the court in the criminal case.
Gitonga was subsequently transferred to Nairobi, where he was presented before Magistrate Ouko.
His arrest came after the court cancelled his earlier bail following his failure to attend court proceedings.
Gitonga's lawyer, Joshua Nyamori, had previously sought the reinstatement of his client's bail, telling the court that his failure to attend proceedings was linked to ill health.
However, the court noted that the explanation was not accompanied by medical documents to support the claim. The court subsequently cancelled his bond and directed that he remain in custody pending consideration of his application for fresh bail.
The court has now directed that Gitonga undergo a mental assessment at KNH as the case proceeds.
The assessment order comes as Gitonga faces a criminal charge over allegations that he demanded Sh500,000 from Amos Hunja Mwangi, a media service provider.
The prosecution alleges that Gitonga, acting jointly with another person who has not been brought before the court, demanded the money from Mwangi.
According to the prosecution, the alleged offence occurred between July 20 and July 27, 2025, within Nairobi County.
The prosecution further alleges that the demand was connected to a video published on Gitonga's TikTok account in which he allegedly claimed that Sh1.6 billion had been stolen from a bank account.
Prosecutors allege that Gitonga demanded Sh500,000 in exchange for removing the video and refraining from publishing further material concerning the financial institution.
Gitonga has denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to the charge.
He was initially released on a cash bail of Sh50,000 or an alternative bond of Sh100,000.
The case has also been the subject of additional court orders after the prosecution raised concerns about Gitonga's alleged commentary on the proceedings on social media.
State Counsel Rama Mwanaidi had asked the court to restrain Gitonga from commenting publicly about the case, arguing that such posts could interfere with the judicial process.
The court subsequently barred Gitonga from discussing, publishing or causing to be published information concerning the case on social media or any other platform.
The mental assessment is expected to inform the court's consideration of the matter as proceedings continue.
