TikToker charged for trying to extort Sh0.5m from bank

TikToker and street activist Joseph Gitonga Kihanya alias Gitonga Archives who was on Friday arraigned before a Nairobi court over allegations of extortion from Co-operative Bank has been freed on a cash bail of Sh50,000.

Kihanya is accused of demanding Sh500,000 from the bank through proxy Amos Hunja Mwangi in a bid to pull down an alleged defamatory video published on his TikTok account.

Appearing before City Court Magistrate Grace Ouko, Kihanya denied the charge of Demanding Property with Menaces, contrary to Section 302 of the Penal Code levelled against him by the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Magistrate Grace Ouko also issued a gag order prohibiting Kihanya from publishing any defamatory statements about Co-operative Bank or its staff on any social media platforms pending the hearing of the case.

 Kihanya is accused of demanding Sh500,000 from Hunja and threatening to further tarnish the reputation of the bank on social media.

The court heard that the accused has been repeatedly posting defamatory content against Co-operative Bank of Kenya and its staff on his social media accounts.

The charge sheet reads that between July 20 and July 27, 2025, within Nairobi County, Kihanya, jointly with another not before court demanded a sum of Sh500,000 from Hunja.

The street activist was accused of posting claims on his TikTok account alleging that Sh1.6 billion had been stolen from client accounts at Cooperative Bank.

He allegedly contacted the complainant, Hunja, who the court heard is a city hawker, and demanded payment in exchange for pulling down the post and halting further defamatory content against the bank.

"Mr Kihanya told me plainly that if I didn't pay him Sh500,000, he would continue pushing the story online and drag the Cooperative Bank's name through the mud," said Hunja in his statement to police.

The case was first reported under OB 49/27/07/2025 at Central Police Station, Nairobi.

After denying the charge, Kihanya, through his lawyers Joshua Nyamori and Black Omanga, pleaded to be released on reasonable bail terms, saying he is sickly and a man of the stroll who cannot raise a hefty bond.

"He has no stable income and survives on goodwill of people. He is not in a position to raise hefty bail terms." His lawyer Nyamori said