Former Sports CS Rashid Echesa Moves to Court Over Alleged Defamatory Broadcast
Former Sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa has moved to the Milimani Commercial Courts seeking urgent orders to restrain an online television channel and its associates from publishing or circulating what he describes as defamatory content linking him to serious criminal activities.
In the suit filed under a certificate of urgency, Echesa has sued Seth Panyako, Obinna TV Extra, Obinna TV Studios and Obinna TV Limited, accusing them of publishing false and malicious allegations portraying him as a murderer, arsonist and instigator of violence.
Through his lawyers, Kimani & Company Advocates, the former CS wants the court to issue temporary injunctions barring the respondents from broadcasting, republishing or disseminating the alleged defamatory statements across digital, electronic, print and broadcast platforms, including YouTube, TikTok, Facebook and WhatsApp.
According to the court documents, the statements were aired live and later recorded, monetised and widely disseminated on social media platforms with massive followings, resulting in what Echesa describes as continuous and irreversible reputational harm.
“The allegations were presented as statements of fact and not opinion, and were calculated to incite public hostility, hatred, contempt and ridicule against the Plaintiff,” the application states.
Echesa argues that the accusations are patently false, unsupported by any evidence and amount to serious criminal imputations that threaten his dignity, public standing and personal safety.
He is also seeking mandatory injunctions compelling the 2nd and 3rd respondents to immediately pull down, delete and permanently remove the impugned video clips and all related content from their YouTube channels and any other digital platforms under their ownership, management or control.
The former Sports CS contends that damages alone would be insufficient to remedy the harm caused by digital defamation, which he says is instantaneous, enduring and exponentially amplified once published online.
He further accuses the respondents of refusing to retract the statements or issue an apology despite a formal demand, adding that the balance of convenience favours granting the orders sought since the respondents would suffer no prejudice by refraining from publishing defamatory material.
The matter has been listed for hearing on January 22 before Senior Principal Magistrate Felix Makoyo at the Milimani Commercial Courts.
