Blogger and political commentator Scophine Aoko Otieno, widely known as Maverick Aoko, has publicly detailed her movements after she was arrested on August 16, 2024 and later released on bail, revealing a months-long period abroad she described as “self-imposed exile.”
Her account, posted on X, expands on a controversial arrest that drew national attention.
Aoko’s legal troubles began in August 2024 when she was arrested at her Nairobi home by officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) following a series of posts on her X account that prosecutors said contained false, defamatory and threatening information about a private individual.
The charge sheet shows she was accused of three counts: publishing false information, cyber harassment, and fraudulent use of electronic data under Kenya’s Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act.
She was detained over the weekend and appeared before Milimani Law Courts on August 19, 2024, where she pleaded not guilty and was released on KSh 100,000 cash bail or KSh 200,000 bond.
Her phones and laptop — seized at arrest — were retained by investigators. The bail was reportedly paid with support from Embakasi East MP Babu Owino.
In her latest X statement, Aoko said that after being freed on bail, she chose to flee Kenya out of fear for her safety, writing that staying would have put her at risk of severe consequences.
She outlined stops in Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, describing Kigali as costly and linguistically challenging, Arusha as unwelcoming, and Uganda as academically enriching but socially complex.
She also mentioned travelling to Namibia, while avoiding posting photographs to protect her location.
Aoko said she continued to pay rent at her Nairobi Gitanga Road home to comply with court appearance requirements.
She explained brief returns to Kenya to attend court sessions, including one around the June 25, 2025 national commemoration under Magistrate Dolfina Alego.
Her account further includes an encounter after returning to Nairobi, where a woman allegedly recognised her and spoke about connections to a separate, high-profile case involving officers tied to the 2022 deaths of two foreign nationals — a claim unverified by authorities.