The Milimani Chief Magistrates Court has ordered three Kakamega-based bloggers to apologise to Lugari Member of Parliament Nabii Nabwera in an ongoing Ksh60 million defamation case involving Nabwera and the three.
In orders issued on Wednesday, November 12, the bloggers were directed to apologise over a series of defamatory social media posts linking the legislator to the death and disappearance of Munyuki High School Principal Simon Isiaho Shange.
The interim order, granted pending the hearing and determination of the main suit, was issued in an application filed by the MP through lawyer Danstan Omari.
The orders were issued in response to what the MP’s legal team described as ‘malicious, false, and unqualified publications’ that were widely shared on three Facebook pages.
As per court documents, the posts alleged that the MP had a hand in the mysterious disappearance and death of the principal, allegations which Nabwera has maintained are meant to damage his reputation.
Through his defense, Nabwera stated that the publications incited members of the public, with some threatening to invade and destroy his home in Lugari. He argued that the falsehoods had endangered his family and caused irreparable damage to his standing as a member of the National Assembly.
Certifying the matter as urgent, the court compelled the bloggers to issue an equivocal apology to the MP and publicly retract their posts about the MP.
The MP is seeking a Ksh60 million payout for defamation from three bloggers who he accuses of spreading the rumours online. Through his lawyers, Nabwera sought compensation of Ksh20 million from each of the popular bloggers over the publication of the content.
The allegations were reportedly posted across five popular social media pages with incriminating headlines, including “Vanished After Defying the MP” and “MP Nabwera Come Clean on the Death of This Teacher.”
Before taking the matter to court, the lawmaker's lawyer wrote to the bloggers, demanding that they remove the posts, apologise, and compensate him. However, none of them complied, resulting in legal action being taken.
In his affidavit, the MP described the late principal as a personal friend and a respected educationist, saying the online accusations were “false, malicious, and politically motivated.”
On Saturday, November 8, the body of the school principal, who had been missing since Monday, November 3, was found in the Kipkaren River.
His body, which had reportedly been mutilated, was found floating in the river, several kilometres away from where his damaged car had been found after a reported accident on the day he disappeared. Reports indicated signs of torture and some missing body parts.
The discovery of the body sparked outrage in the community, who claimed that the headteacher had been murdered and the murder had been staged to look like an accident.
