Former nominated senator Gloria Orwoba has been ordered to pay sh 10.5 million in damages to Senate Clerk Jeremiah Nyegenye after the Milimani Commercial Court found her guilty of defamation over a series of social media posts accusing him of sexual harassment.
Delivering the judgment on Monday, July 14, Magistrate Ruguru Ngotho ruled that Orwoba’s posts shared on WhatsApp, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter) were “false, defamatory, libelous, and malicious.”
“The words posted and published by the Defendant concerning the Plaintiff are defamatory, libelous, and malicious,” stated Magistrate Ngotho.
The court awarded Nyegenye sh 8 million in general damages and an additional sh 2.5 million in exemplary and aggravated damages. A further sh 1 million in default damages will be payable if Orwoba fails to issue a public apology within 30 days.
The apology must be published across her social media platforms and in a widely circulated national newspaper.
Additionally, a permanent injunction was issued, barring Orwoba or her associates from publishing any further defamatory content against Nyegenye.
The defamatory posts accused Nyegenye of soliciting sexual favors from Orwoba and retaliating when she rejected his advances.
In a Facebook video cited in court, Orwoba claimed, “Clerk of the Senate Jeremiah Nyegenye solicited for sexual favours from me… and once I refused… the retaliation began.”
However, the court ruled that these accusations were unsubstantiated and motivated by personal vendetta rather than a genuine pursuit of justice.
“It was incumbent upon her to go the extra mile to justify her statements. She did not,” the magistrate said.
“Her main intention was to have the Clerk of the Senate impeached and removed. Her aim was to spite, disparage and trample on his reputation.”
The court further stated that Orwoba’s actions were not protected by parliamentary privilege and criticized her for failing to follow court directions, showing no remorse, and handling the matter with a “casual” attitude.
“An award for exemplary damages is deserved to remind her that freedom of expression must be exercised responsibly,” the magistrate added.
Nyegenye, represented by lawyer Peter Wanyama, told the court the allegations had severely impacted his family and professional standing.
A colleague who testified supported Nyegenye’s claim, stating the accusations had caused “immeasurable damage” to his reputation.
Orwoba admitted to making the posts and said she believed them to be true.
However, the court rejected her legal defenses of justification, fair comment, and qualified privilege, finding them baseless.
“No amount of money can reinstate his blemished reputation,” Magistrate Ngotho concluded. “What this court can only do is to assuage the Plaintiff’s tainted image.”
The ruling is one of the most high-profile defamation judgments in Kenya in recent years, raising renewed attention to the responsibilities of public figures and the limits of free speech on social media.
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