Kenyan businessman Madatali Saberali Chatur has lost a prolonged legal battle against K24 TV and several journalists, after the Court of Appeal dismissed his defamation case that dates back to 2011.
Chatur, a well-known figure in Kenya’s real estate and industrial sectors, had sued the station’s former parent company, Regional Reach Media Company Ltd, and journalists Farah Habib, Josephine Maina, and Maria Galang, among others, over a broadcast he claimed falsely linked him to terrorism.
On July 31, 2025, Justices Daniel Musinga (Presiding), Fred Tuiyott, and George Odunga dismissed Civil Appeal No. 543 of 2019, citing an incomplete record of appeal and insufficient grounds to overturn a 2018 High Court ruling that had previously thrown out the suit for non-attendance.
The court emphasized that litigation must come to an end and criticized the appellant for failing to diligently pursue the matter.
Chatur originally filed the suit in 2011, claiming he had been defamed in a K24 news segment that allegedly portrayed him as being linked to terror-related activities.
The case, however, stalled for years due to repeated delays and adjournments.
In December 2018, the High Court dismissed the case after Chatur failed to attend the hearing.
While he claimed he had just returned from overseas medical treatment, the court found no compelling medical evidence to justify his absence.
Justice L. Njuguna ruled that there was no indication that Chatur was too ill to attend court, saying, “The documents do not portray a patient who cannot be able to attend court.”
Chatur later appealed the decision, arguing that his constitutional right to a fair hearing had been denied.
However, the Court of Appeal found his appeal lacking, noting that he failed to submit a complete record of proceedings, including the very medical documents central to his case.
“Without a full record of proceedings and the relevant medical documents, we are unable to test the exercise of the trial court’s discretion,” the judges said.
The Court also pointed out that Chatur’s case had already enjoyed multiple adjournments and that he had been granted ample opportunity to prosecute the matter.
“The appellant was indolent and not keen on prosecuting his case,” the ruling stated.
The appeal was dismissed with costs awarded to journalist Farah Habib, the first respondent.
Although the original K24 broadcast was not re-aired during the proceedings, Chatur maintained that it painted him in a false and damaging light, misrepresenting his business activities and linking him to terrorism.
The journalists and other respondents, including prominent lawyer Harun Ndubi and human rights activist Al-Amin Kimathi, defended their reporting as being in the public interest and based on sources available at the time.
In earlier filings, the respondents criticized Chatur’s prolonged inaction, with Ndubi and Kimathi opposing a stay of proceedings, arguing that the businessman had failed to move the case forward for more than seven years.
At the time of the suit, Regional Reach Media Company Ltd operated K24 TV, though the channel has since changed hands and is now under the ownership of Mediamax Network Ltd.
With the appellate court’s decision, Chatur’s over-a-decade-long legal pursuit ends in defeat, reinforcing the judiciary’s stance on timely and diligent prosecution of cases.
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