A Nairobi court has placed a temporary restraining order on Francis Onyango, the President of Bunge la Wananchi, and the platform YouTube, barring them from disseminating allegedly defamatory content regarding Kungu Ndungu, the Director General of the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA).
The injunction was granted by Principal Magistrate Stephen Onjoro at the Milimani Commercial Court after Ndungu brought forth serious allegations against Onyango.
The court’s ruling comes amid claims that Onyango has made incendiary accusations of corruption against Ndungu, which have since gone viral on social media and other platforms.
“The temporary injunction will prevent the defendants, both jointly and severally, from disseminating defamatory content via YouTube, other online platforms, electronic or print media, or any other media platform,” Magistrate Onjoro stated in his ruling.
The court is set to conduct an inter-party hearing on December 5, 2024, to address the application further.
Ndungu’s petition highlights a troubling narrative, alleging that Onyango’s social media posts implied that he was involved in funding opposition activities aimed at destabilizing the current government.
“The defamatory tweets and posts were designed to lead the public to believe that I conspired to execute treasonous acts against the duly elected President of the Republic of Kenya,” he asserted.
Adding to the gravity of the situation, Ndungu accused Onyango, along with an accomplice identified as Abigail Janai, of attempting to extort Ksh2 million (approximately $13,000) from him.
This sum was allegedly demanded in exchange for dropping a 2021 petition that sought Ndungu’s removal from his position as KeNHA Director General.
Ndungu claimed to have reported this attempted extortion to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), resulting in the arrest of both individuals.
