The Akasha family is preparing a lawsuit against the Daily Nation for allegedly dragging it into the woes faced by Ibrahim Abdalla Akasha and his brother Baktash.
In exclusive documents obtained by Kenyans.co.ke, the family, through Khaminwa and Khaminwa Advocates, accused the Kimathi-street based publication of claiming it has a stake in the narcotics business rocking the coastal region.
"We have evidence to prove that the print and internet publication known as Daily Nation contain serious, untrue and highly defamatory comments towards our clients.
"In doing so, defamatory comments are being communicated to millions of people in Kenya and throughout the world, posing a serious threat to the reputation of our clients (and various companies asociated with our clients)," reads a demand letter to the Daily Nation in part.
In the August 7, 2020, edition, the publication carried a story under the headline Drugs trade: state to blacklist firms in which it detailed that Interior CS Fred Matiang’i was scheduled to de-register companies that were linked to drug trade.
"Mombasa has for years been the regional epicentre of the drugs trade and attempts to end the menace have always been met by a pushback by the cartels – once the operational base for Akasha Ibrahim Abdalla, a Kenyan of Palestinian origin and whose family took over his narcotics business after he was shot dead in Europe," reads an excerpt from the story by the publication that the family finds offensive.
The family, which is made up of over 300 members across the country, however, clarified that most of the kin had estranged from the two claiming it was unfair to be dragged into the scandal.
"The imputation of using the 'Akasha family' is that the client is part and parcel of the narcotic network in Kenya. Our client is part of the Akasha family, which is a large family in the Republic of Kenya and not all members of the Akasha family are part of the narcotic network.
"As a matter of fact, the large majority of the Akasha family, who number over 300 in Kenya, are law abiding citizens, who are, in fact, estranged from Baktash and Ibrahim Akasha," added the statement.
The family also claimed that it intended to expand its business across the country but the continuous publication of the name maligned all Akasha families across the country.
The suit further indicated that the family had lost potential business opportunities as a result of the publication and that four banks in Nairobi had closed bank accounts associated with them.
As a result, the family has given the media house an ultimatum of 14 days to meet their demands without which they would pursue a legal action.
The demands include to apologise, make proposal of damages payment and delete newly published defamatory statements.
In a phone call to Kenyans.co.ke, John Kamau, the author of the story, noted that he was not aware of the new developments.
"I have not received the letter but I have left the matter to Nation lawyers. Once we get the letter, we shall see what happens," he stated.
Ibrahim and Baktash were arrested in Mombasa on January 28, 2017 and moved to the US on January 30 the same year under US Drug Enforcement Agency personnel to answer to trafficking charges.
Ibrahim was sentenced to 23 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to trafficking heroin and methamphetamine.
