Written by Joyce Nzomo
The High Court has dismissed a libel suit filed by Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja against Nation Media Group PLC and two of its journalists.
In his plaint dated June 19, 2025, Governor Sakaja had complained about a story published in the Daily Nation of Thursday, June 19, 2025, under the headline “How Chaos Was Planned.”
The story, which appeared on the front page and continued on page 2, reported on the June 17, 2025, Nairobi protests during which demonstrators were allegedly attacked by hired goons.
The article carried photographs of several leaders, including Governor Sakaja, alongside quotes attributed to them.
Sakaja argued that the story was defamatory, branding him as a sponsor of violence and chaos during the anti-finance bill protests.
Alongside the suit, he filed an application seeking an injunction to restrain the media house from publishing or broadcasting any stories linking him to the planning, organizing, or funding of the chaos.
Justice Nixon Sifuna, who presided over the matter, ruled that the injunction sought by the governor was speculative and unsupported by evidence of an imminent threat of publication.
He described it as a “rolling” or “free-flowing” gag order aimed at insulating the plaintiff against all future eventualities, which in law is undesirable.
The judge noted that if Nation Media were to publish any defamatory content while the suit is still pending, Sakaja would still have recourse through a fresh defamation claim and compensation in damages.
“In the end, this court is not satisfied that the plaintiff has established a sound and legally sufficient basis for the injunctive orders sought in this motion.
The motion is therefore for dismissal and I hereby dismiss it with no order as to costs,” ruled Justice Sifuna.
