City lawyer and blogger Wahome Thuku has been sued by a police officer from Kamukunji Police Station over a Facebook post where he alleged that she collects
bribes from Public Service Vehicles plying the Jogoo Road route.
In the defamation suit, Maureen Kinuthia wants the blogger to be ordered to pay her Kshs 1 million in special damages and a further Kshs 500,000 for aggravated damages for damaging her reputation as a young police officer.
She says that learnt about the post from concerned friends and relatives .
"That on 30th December, 2022, at around 7.15 pm, I received several phone calls from friends, colleagues, acquaintances and relatives inquiring on when I was posted to the Traffic Department in my station, and why I started taking bribes",she says in her application.
Through the law firm of Akinyi Awour and Company Advocates she says that the allegations made by Thuku last year in December , hurt her deeply and besmirched a reputation which she has fought so hard to build.
She says that when her lawyers wrote to Thuku to demand a retraction of the post ,Thuku allegedly said"Tell your client to Come and sue me tomorrow".
"That the defamatory post by Wahome 'Thuku hurt me deeply and besmirched a reputation I have worked so hard to build seeing as I am a young officer with ambitions both within and without the service.
That upon retaining Counsel to demand that the said Wahome 'Thuku retract and apologize for defaming me, the said Wahome Thuku tersely replied to my Counsel that "Tell your Client to sue me tomorrow," she says in her Court papers.
She says Thuku who has more 200,000 followers on his Facebook than has displayed arrogance and instead of pulling down the post he made another follow up post.She denied working in the Traffic Control department.
"That through a friend I got the said Wahome's phone number and dialed him to ask him to pull down the post and/or clarify that I was not collecting bribes from PSV drivers.That the said Wahome Thuku refused and instead did a follow up post defending his actions",she says.
The officer says that unless the court intervenes she risks being attacked by members of the Matatu industry and has had to change routes due to the alleged defamation.
" The act of defamation poses an actual danger to the Plaintiff. It has the consequence of inciting the Matatu Industry against the Plaintiff,her Court papers state.
Kinuthia continued to state that she is a member of the National Police Service which is a a very sensitive position.
"The Plaintiff is a member of a very sensitive profession: The National Police Service. As an enforcer of the law, her reputation is very important. She has put in a lot of work to maintain an impeccable record, because her progress in the service depends on how clean her record is. Therefore, the insinuation that she collects bribes from members of the public is the first stain on her record. And it has to be challenged,she says in her suit papers.
She maintains that the claims by Thuku were untrue and driven by malice and that she have never collected or solicited or received any bribe in her entire career as a police officer.
She contends that she has no record or pending disciplinary issues with the Police Service
She also wants the court to order Thuku to publish a retraction Of the defamatory post;
Content created and supplied by: TumainiGachambi (via Opera News )
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