Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph ole Lenku sues lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi over tweets

Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph ole Lenku has formally filed a defamation suit against lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi over claims on Twitter linking him to a land grabbing saga in Narok and Kajiado counties.

The CS had on November 4 issued a notice to the lawyer to apologise, but he declined and posted his reply on Twitter to the effect that Lenku can sue if he so wishes.

Mr Lenku petitioned Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Keriako Tobiko to arrest and prosecute Ahmednasir for defaming him in his Twitter handle.

In the defamation suit filed at the High Court yesterday, the Interior CS claims that between October 27 and November 11 the lawyer falsely and maliciously printed and published defamatory words against him.

He says Ahmednasir also published the said words to ‘steal a march in the civil suit he has filed in a Machakos court on behalf of Nguruman Ltd against the CS and others’.

He further claims the lawyer published libelous accusations over land grabbing in some parts of Narok, alleging that Karen scandal is just a tip of the iceberg. The Interior CS through his lawyer Donald Kipkorir, says Ahmednasir made serious and unsubstantiated allegations which smacks criminal charges against him.

Lawyer Kipkorir says the DPP should institute criminal prosecution against the author and indict him with the offence of misuse of social media. The CS says the posts portrayed him as a person who does not understand or respect law among other issues raised.

“In consequence of the said publications, the plaintiff has been injured in his credit, character and reputation and brought into hatred, ridicule and contempt,” Mr Kipkorir states in the application.

He is seeking for aggravated and exemplary damages.