Law student in George Ruto TikTok case takes U-turn, changes plea to not guilty

A law student accused of using derogatory language against President William Ruto's son, George Ruto, has changed his plea from guilty to not guilty following the intervention of four senior lawyers.

Hesbon Mauti Thomas appeared before the Milimani Law Courts on Friday, July 31, where he was allowed to change his plea after lawyers Danstan Omari, Shadrack Wambui, Cliff Ombeta, and Stanley Kinyanjui successfully applied to the court.

The four advocates told the magistrate that they had advised the student on the legal consequences of pleading guilty and urged the court to allow him to change his plea.

"We were in court on a different matter when we met the young man. We advised him to change his plea, and we are here to represent him on a pro bono basis. We are also willing to pay his cash bail," Omari told the court.

Omari further explained that Mauti, who is an orphan, initially pleaded guilty because he feared he would not be granted bond.

According to the lawyer, the student is being supported through his education by a church following the death of his parents.

The court allowed Mauti to change his plea to not guilty and released him on a cash bail of KSh 5,000.

On Thursday, Mauti had pleaded guilty to a charge of offensive conduct conducive to a breach of the peace in connection with a TikTok video allegedly containing remarks directed at George Ruto.

According to the charge sheet, the prosecution alleges that on June 25, 2026, at an unknown location within Kenya, Mauti, using his TikTok account, PROVIDENT@bonifaceaminga,posted a video in which he allegedly altered the lyrics of a song to include remarks referring to George Ruto and members of President William Ruto's family.

The prosecution argues that the words used in the video were likely to cause a breach of the peace, contrary to Section 94(1) of the Penal Code, Chapter 63 of the Laws of Kenya.

Court records indicate that Mauti was arrested on July 21, 2026, before being arraigned at the Milimani Law Courts on Thursday, where he initially entered a guilty plea.

The case will proceed to hearing following his fresh plea of not guilty.