Taita County officials sue blogger over corruption claims
Voi police station in Taita Taveta where DCI and OCS have been ordered to investigate pseudo accounts that have been sharing and circulating defamatory posts against some county officials.
Five senior Taita Taveta County government officials cited negatively by a whistleblower website in Taita Taveta have asked the Communications Authority to pull down the site.
This follows a temporary injunction and interim orders issued on November 2 by Mombasa Senior Principal Magistrate Charles Ndegwa barring the website owner, Mwashere Shuma, or his agents from publishing “libelous or defamatory statements or articles” against the officials.
Mr Ndegwa asked Interpol to help repatriate Mr Shuma from Europe to face charges of defamation in Kenya.
The officials are Edward Mwakisima, Bigvai Mwailemi, Wilfred Mwalimo, Mathias Madeda and Mathew Njoroge. Mr Mwashere had claimed in his online posts that the officials were corrupt.
The court ordered the defendant to pull down all defamatory articles from several platforms, including his Kwaela News Network website.
"The plaintiff is granted leave to effect service of court summons or any other process through the minister for the time being responsible for Foreign Affairs and with a special request for the further transmission through the diplomatic channel through the Kenyan embassy in Austria," the order said.
The court also directed the inspector-general of police to coordinate with Interpol to present the defendant to court.
The Voi DCI and police station commander (OCS) have also been ordered to investigate pseudo-accounts that have been sharing and circulating defamatory posts against the petitioners on social media.
The case will be heard on November 16.
