Questions mount over Maverick Aoko disappearance amid security fears

Maverick Aoko. (Courtesy)

Blogger and scribe Scophine Aoko Otieno, widely known as Maverick Aoko has been missing for a number of days and her disappearance is causing jitters in all quarters. Netizens have been raising alarm, with more social media personalities continuing to put pressure on the government to produce her. The hashtag #FreeAoko has garnered over 300 million impressions on X alone where she commands over 3321,000 followers, with TikTok also raking in numbers under the same tag.

Having been a guest of the State a while back and a number of occasions has seen her brush, former Standard journalist Scophine Aoko Otieno, popularly known as Maverick Aoko, has been missing in action especially online where she has a big audience.

The silence was broken by her aide who indicated that after her last arrest in August, Aoko made the decision to stay with her family in the countryside, traveling to Nairobi exclusively for meetings and court appearances. The aide recounted that two weeks ago, upon her return to Nairobi, Aoko was alarmed to find that her front door had been forcibly damaged.

“After her arrest, she opted to stay with family upcountry only going to Nairobi for meetings and court. Two weeks ago, upon her return to Nairobi, she found her main door clobbered at the hinges. She called me panicked. I asked her to take pictures and leave. She decided not to say it to prevent drawing attention that she was around,” the aide tweeted.

The aide further posted that her caretaker and watchman also reported of strange men hovering around, asking of her whereabouts. Days later, she was interviewed by AFP about her arrest ordeal and continued threats.

“After her tweet on Mr. “F”, she went incognito, which we (family and friends) thought was normal; perhaps she just wanted to confuse enemies. We still don’t know her whereabouts. To whom do we report? Same police who told her lawyers point-blank, “we are coming for her.” If they took her, we are asking that they produce her. If she is hiding, we pray that she is safe and will reach out in whatever discreet way just so we can all have peace of mind,” the statement added.

Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, whom she calls her close buddy, confirmed that Aoko is still missing after contacting her family and friends.

“Aoko has been missing for days and her whereabouts are not known. I have reached out to her family members and close friends but no one knows where she is!” Owino posted.

“DCI should tell us where Maverick Aoko is since they are the main agents of abduction in this country.We have looked for Aoko everywhere and we can’t find her. She’s not in any police station in Nairobi.@DCI_Kenya you are notorious for abduction.#FreeAoko,” he later added on X.

Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has also waded into the issue calling on the police to provide her with immediate access to legal representation and communication with her family.

“Every individual has the inherent right not to be held incommunicado. This fundamental principle is essential for ensuring justice and protecting human rights. We call upon the @NPSOfficial_KE @PoliceKE @DCI_Kenya to uphold @AokoOtieno_ rights. It is vital that she is treated with dignity and respect, as guaranteed under both national and international human rights laws,” he posted.

The issue has seen the president of the Law Society of Kenya, Faith Odhiambo, call on the public to share any information on Aoko’s whereabouts while advocating for her immediate release and underscoring that any allegations made against her must be addressed within the confines of the law.

Back in August, she was arrested by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), and was presented before Senior Principal Magistrate Susan Shitubi, facing three charges, which included the dissemination of false information and cyber harassment.

“She did this knowing it to be malicious, false and well-calculated to cause fear, panic and destroy the reputation and professional career and livelihood of one Beth Wambui Mbuitu,” the charge sheet reads.

The second charge alleges that she disseminated false information on the same day, in collaboration with individuals not present in court, utilising the X Corp Account identified as Maverick Aoko @AokoOtieno, with full knowledge and without any lawful justification.

She was also faced with a third count of fraudulent use of electronic data, contrary to Section 38 of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act. She would deny all the charges and was later released on a cash bail of Sh100,000 or a bond of Sh200,000.

Maverick is known for taking no prisoner and when she is at her element, no one is safe from her controversial posts.

To some, she is a rabble rouser and has been emboldened by her past experience online where she took on different personalities, including politicians like former Cabinet Assistant Secretary David Osiany and current Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi. In other quarters, she is the Jaguar Wright of X, and when she “serves tea” (read do an expose) all business comes to standstill.

She has been animated about a number of high profile individuals including President William Ruto, his impeached Deputy Rigathi Gachagua and Farouk Kibet, Ruto’s private aide. She also has had a sweet and sour relationship with most ODM honchos including Raila Odinga and his family. She would later issue apologies to the seasoned politician and his family following her altercations with government operatives whom she accused of failing to honour promises made.

Although she is as vulgar as she comes, there is a religious side to her.  She once compared herself to the sinful woman in Luke 7: 36-50 who washed anointed Jesus’ feet with her tears and oil before wiping them off with her hair.

“…Maybe you look at me and see my sins are more, yours are less—Ni sawa (it’s okay). God has forgiven me. And I now put my life and fate in his hands. Not in those of politicians or any human. Now watch and see him manifest in my life. If I don’t become a testimony, then God lies. Which I know he doesn’t,” concluded Aoko.

A while back, while promising her followers that she has quit politics despite allegedly refusing a Sh100,000 job offer to blog for the government, she revealed that she intended to start her own YouTube show where she hoped to talk matters politics, like never seen before.

While her hot and cold takes may rub some feathers the wrong way, a while back, Aoko revealed that her experiences of loneliness and depression led her to a suicide attempt. On that occasion, her house manager discovered her and successfully saved her life. She mentioned that when she reached out for help online, she encountered insults instead, which prompted her to consider the possibility of another suicide attempt.

Away from her combative self, Aoko has shown soft spot for her family and has never shied away from showing it. Her father Mourice Otieno, who has already filed a missing person alert through OB NO 09/29/10/2024, caused a buzz when he travelled overnight from Migori to be with his daughter during her times in the dock, a move that saw her break down in tears.

She has also been posting of how proud she was of her siblings, often lighting the mood on the X timeline with photos of her two other siblings. Her small brother who is a student at Kenyatta University and her sister have been featured in her tweets. Recently she joked that he had cooked rice and beef and in her normal banter style, she stated she was not going to eat the meal as it was cooked like it was meant for inmates.

Talk of sibling love!