Kimani Ichung’wah, Majority Leader of the National Assembly, has responded to a defamation suit filed by Lawyer Danstan Omari against him.
In his replying affidavit, Ichung’wah argued that Omari’s complaint against him was without merit since he did not participate in any defamatory tweets against the lawyer.
If anything, Ichung’wah maintained that the tweets on which Omari’s lawsuit was based were just fair remarks and were not addressed at him as an individual.
“I am a stranger to any purported allegations of defamation, and I have gone through the purported publication, if any, and I do not find any defamatory words at all,” reads Kimani’s affidavit.
As a result, he concluded that Omari had failed to demonstrate that the tweets were damaging and had harmed his reputation, as claimed in his application.
The Kikuyu MP also sought to reverse Omari’s prayers. Lawyer Omari had urged the judge in the defamation complaint to prevent the National Assembly Majority Leader and his agents from disseminating any derogatory information about him until the suit was heard determined.
In response, Ichung’wah requested the judge not to grant Omari’s conservatory order, alleging that there was no basis for the lawyer to make such requests.
“This freedom of expression should not be taken away on account of personal rights. Further, the application can have recourse in the way of damages if there are indeed proven defamatory utterances by myself in the future.
“The applicant has failed to demonstrate to this honorable court that there is a threat of any defamatory publication to warrant the granting of injunctive relief as prayed for by the applicant,” stated Ichung’wah in his affidavit.
