By Andrew Kariuki
A man has been charged before the Milimani Law Courts over allegations of illegally distributing and selling pirated digital newspapers through WhatsApp.
Antony Mwanzia Kimeu appeared before Senior Principal Magistrate Teresia Nyangena on March 2, 2026, where he denied two charges brought against him by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
According to the charge sheet, Kimeu is accused of unlawfully distributing and offering for sale digital copies of Daily Nation, Taifa Leo, Business Daily and The East African newspapers without the consent of the copyright owner, Nation Media Group PLC.
The prosecution alleges that the offences were committed between June 23 and July 10, 2025, at an unknown location within the Republic of Kenya.
It is further claimed that the digital newspapers were circulated and sold through a WhatsApp account registered under a Safaricom subscriber number ending in 0706****07.
Prosecutors told the court that the accused person infringed on the copyright holder’s rights by reproducing and distributing the digital publications for commercial gain without authorization.
Kimeu denied the charges when they were read to him.
The matter will proceed in court as scheduled, with further directions expected from the trial court.
