WhatsApp Group Admins Taken to Court Over Member Removal
A founding member of a Mombasa welfare association has filed a case in the High Court after being removed from the group’s official WhatsApp platform.
Julius Ogogoh, a co-founder of the Luo Professionals Welfare Group, has lodged a constitutional petition against the association’s chairman Pius Oketch, secretary Zablon Awino, and treasurer Mourice Abwao, as well as Bandari Sacco, where the group’s account is held. He argues that his removal from the WhatsApp forum violated his constitutional rights, including the right to fair administrative action, freedom of expression, and freedom of association.
The welfare group has operated for over a decade, collecting member contributions to support bereaved families. Members are required to contribute Sh1,000 upon a death, creating a fund that can exceed Sh300,000. Ogogoh claims that officials introduced a policy to retain 10 percent of contributions for one year, but that the withheld funds have not been released to beneficiaries after the period elapsed.
The dispute intensified on 13 March, when members used the WhatsApp forum to request financial statements and an audit of the fund. Ogogoh, who raised concerns about transparency, states that he was removed from the platform without prior notice or explanation. He maintains that the WhatsApp group is the association’s main channel of communication and that his exclusion prevented him from taking part in discussions and decision-making.
In his petition, Ogogoh also questions the group’s governance. He alleges that officials registered the organisation as a community-based group and opened a bank account without consulting members. He further claims that no elections have been held, despite constitutional provisions requiring annual leadership contests.
Ogogoh is seeking reinstatement to the WhatsApp group, access to registration documents and audited accounts, the release of withheld funds to affected families, and the convening of an annual general meeting to elect new officials.
