Renowned social media figure Scophine Aoko Otieno, popularly known as Maverick Aoko, was arrested and detained on Friday, August 16, over allegedly controversial posts on her X (Twitter) account.
Her arrest followed multiple complaints filed with the police about her posts, according to her lawyer, who did not provide further details.
In social media posts made on Friday night, Aoko’s aide stated that the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) stormed Aoko’s home with more than three Subaru vehicles in a blatant show of force.
“They ransacked her house, seized her electronics (phones, laptop) without justification. She is still DETAINED without a valid reason. Absolute abuse of power,” she posted on Aoko’s X account.
After Aoko’s arrest, Embakasi East Member of Parliament Babu Owino said she visited Aoko at the DCI headquarters and described the charges against her as “vexatious, frivolous, fickle, and limping”.
The Kenya Times reached out to the National Police Service (NPS) Spokesperson Dr Resila Atieno for clarification on the matter, but our calls went unanswered.
Maverick Aoko Lawyer Speaks on Her Arrest
Earlier, lawyer Cliff Ombeta alleged that Aoko had been denied legal counsel, and that his colleague Ivy Ateko Indati, a lawyer, had been denied access to her client at the Muthaiga police station.
“Let us not keep quiet. They have denied you legal counsel. My colleague has been denied seeing you. Muthaiga police station. This a basic constitutional right,” he posted.
Ombeta later posted that his colleague had been allowed to see Aoko, although she was reportedly harassed by the officers.
“They have finally allowed my colleague to see her. I have also spoken to her. Thanks, Ivy Ateko for attending Aoko Otieno,” Ombeta said.
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About the Tweep and Controversies Surrounding Her
The X user is both loved and hated for her controversial posts often targeting influential figures, which stir significant attention on social media.
Aoko has a conservative tone to her messages, and she has adopted a no-holds-barred approach, simply tweeting her ideas and thoughts and letting the chips fall where they may.
The Kenyan writer, known for her outspoken views, has stirred controversy with her perspectives on feminism, often siding with men.
In a past interview, Aoko revealed that her social media influencing journey started with her anti-feminism stunts that attracted both praise and hate.
At some point in her social media escapades, she narrated, a Facebook user dared her to take her anti-feminism war on Twitter (now X) which is known for cyberbullying. The challenge prompted her to start posting on X, where she has since amassed over 100,000 followers.
She once made headlines in 2020 when she stated that women “eating fare” without a logical excuse amount to theft.
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She is also popular for picking fights with any Kenyan regardless of their class, with one of the most popular being her case with former Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) David Osiany.
The influencer has also picked up fights with prominent figures including Hanifa Farsafi recently. She has in the past claimed to have had affairs with a chain of prominent politicians in the country, both in opposition and in government.
At one point, her account with over 77,000 followers was suspended in October 2020 after she posted defamatory statements against a senior politician.
Speaking in a recent interview, Aoko revealed that her account was suspended after her posts where she shared with Suna East MP Junet Mohamed’s phone number.
She is alleged to have been almost kidnapped in 2016. This was after she allegedly exposed some Migori government employees through an expose on the devolved government.
Aoko’s Education and Career
She began writing back in college while pursuing her diploma in journalism at the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication.
In her X posts and media interviews, Aoko has also revealed that she was pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science but was forced to defer during the Covid pandemic.
She has previously worked with media organizations, including Standard Group, where she wrote articles for the Standard Newspaper.
The writer also worked as a content Editor at the Kenya Report. She comes from a family of writers as her elder brother Jectone Oyoo, is also a seasoned writer.
In the days leading to her arrest, Aoko had made controversial social media posts touching on relationships of senior government officials hence the speculation that her tweets could have landed her in trouble.
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