The High Court has issued a directive for Azimio National Assembly Whip Junet Mohamed to compensate Nyali Member of Parliament (MP) Mohammed Ali with a sum of 6 million Kes in a defamation lawsuit dating back to 2022.
In its recent verdict, the court mandated Junet to cover all expenses incurred by Ali during the legal proceedings. The court’s decision stemmed from Junet’s use of his X app account (formerly Twitter) in 2022 to make disparaging remarks, using the pseudonym ‘Jicho Pevu’, targeting the Nyali lawmaker. These remarks were deemed by the court to have tarnished Ali’s reputation and his standing within the Islamic community.
The court noted that Junet’s tweet insinuated that Ali, despite professing the Islamic faith, acted in contradiction to its principles, painting him as a hypocrite. The court further observed that the public’s response to the tweet supported the assertion that it had a damaging impact on Ali’s reputation.
In essence, the court concluded that Ali successfully demonstrated all the necessary elements to establish a case of defamation against Junet.
In 2022, Mohamed alleged that Ali was involved in a romantic relationship with a user named Aoko Otieno, a claim that Ali, a former media personality, found damaging to his reputation. Following the circulation of these tweets, Ali promptly issued Junet with a demand letter, urging him to retract his statements.
