City businessman Jimmy Wanjigi has filed a lawsuit against Nation Media after the Group’s paper, Daily Nation, published a fake obituary purporting his death.
Appearing before High Court judge Wilfrida Okwany, the businessman demanded Kshs100 million in compensation for the paper’s infringement of his privacy.
Wanjigi further told the court that the fake obituary caused him mental anguish and also affected his children as it printed their details including where they lived and schooled.
Through his lawyer Willis Otieno, the billionaire claimed that the publication was a death threat to himself and would cause assassins to track down his children who are studying abroad.
He even equated his situation with that of a pop star who sued British Broadcasting Cooperation (BBC) for tainting his status.
Cliff Richard Obe, in July this year, was awarded close to Ksh25 million in his suit accusing the international broadcaster of infringing his privacy for claiming that he was supposed to be investigated for sex allegations.
“Richard was famous in UK and the plaintiff has a status. He (Wanjigi) is a billionaire and we can produce statements as proof,” Wanjigi’s lawyer remarked.
The media house, however, refuted the claims explaining that the name published alongside an image looking like Wanjigi, was totally different. The name was James Richard Wanjagi.
The media house added that as for the privacy and the businessman’s home, a police raid that had been carried earlier had already revealed its whereabouts.
The judgement will be delivered on April 10, 2019.
