Kakamega Senator Boniface Khalwale has filed a defamation suit against a businessman who had alleged foul play in the death of the lawmaker's farmhand.
The Senator, through his lawyer Danstan Omari, filed the case at the Milimani Law Courts on February 19, 2024.
"Our lawyers have finally sued," Khalwale said in a post after the case was filed.
Khalwale first expressed his intentions to seek legal redress after the businessman in question suggested that Khalwale's account of events leading to the farmhand's death was inaccurate.
At the tail end of January, Khalwale shared a video showing him spearing his fighter bull to death. It was at this juncture that Khalwale revealed that the bull had killed its caretaker who also doubled up as Khalwale's farmhand.
Shortly after, the video went viral leading to what has now turned out to be inaccurate speculation.
Hurt by the speculation, Khalwale invited detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to probe the matter.
An autopsy conducted by government pathologist, Johansen Oduor on February 3 would later confirm that the farmhand was killed by the bull.
“We can conclude that indeed the initial autopsy was correct and it was caused by an animal rather than what was alleged that it was a knife or something like that,” Oduor commented following the autopsy.
Once this was established, Khalwale demanded an apology from the businessman and threatened to file a lawsuit.
Despite this, the businessman never retracted his statement or apologised, prompting the senator to take the matter to court.
Khalwale is now demanding a Ksh 200 million as damages.
While announcing the death, Khalwale revealed that the 47-year old farmhand's body was found lying in the cowshed by one his workers who going about his normal activities.
Khalwale further revealed that the staffer had been taking care of his bulls for over 20 years. In accordance with Luhya traditions, the fighter bull was speared to death.
The farmhand would later be laid to rest on February 5.
