This archive report was first published on 27 June 2020.
On June 10th, two directors of Mahiga Homes Ltd, Patrick Waweru Muchoki and Joseph Thuo Ruhiu, stormed the Daily Nation editorial offices, demanding an apology for an article published the previous day.
The article, written by Journalist John Mutua, had criticized Mahiga Homes for failing to complete its off-plan housing projects in Kiambu, Nairobi, and Kajiado counties.
The projects, including Cornerstone Estates in Kimunyu, Rockvilla Estates on Kangundo Road, Rock Gardens in Ruiru, and Osoit Gardens in Kitengela, were found to lack basic amenities such as water, electricity, and sewerage systems.
However, in a letter to Nation Media Group's legal adviser, Sekou Owino, Mahiga Homes' lawyer, Janet Kiboi, demanded that the Nation Media Group pull down the article from its website and apologize publicly for causing damage to the company's image.
“The Daily Nation being a newspaper with a nationwide circulation has adversely tainted the company's image. The words in the article are in their ordinary meaning and understood to mean by right thinking members of the public that Mahiga Homes Ltd is indeed dubbed as fraudulent and lacks integrity,” reads a letter from Mahiga Homes Ltd.
Days later, Mahiga Homes director Patrick Muchoki placed a full-page advert in the Daily Nation, warning the media house against publishing or disseminating “false and damaging” statements about the company.
On June 14th, the article went missing from the Daily Nation website for a few hours before it was uploaded back. On June 16th, the Daily Nation ran a positive article on Mahiga Homes, detailing the company's achievements in real estate and how it was dealing with the COVID-19 effects.
However, the move sparked outrage among readers, with many questioning the credibility of the positive article. Nation's Public Editor, Peter Mwaura, accused the editor of violating Nation Editorial policy.
