This archive report was first published on 5 August 2019.
On September 20, 2014, a Twitter campaign was launched under the hashtag #stoptonymochama, accusing Standard Group writer Tony Mochama of sexual assault at a poetry party in Loresho, Nairobi.
However, in a defamation case filed in January 2015, Mochama was awarded Ksh 9 million after Senior Principal Magistrate A.M Obura found no concrete evidence to support the allegations.
Magistrate Obura ruled that the two women, Shalja Patel and Prof Wambui Mwangi, could not say, write, or cause to be published any defamatory statements against Mochama.
She stated that the two women showed no remorse and that their professions should have guided them to verify the truth before making the allegations.
“I find that the publication was malicious on a balance of probability and I am not satisfied that they established justification or fair comment. There was proof of injury to Mochama’s reputation. The award is fair and reasonable,” she said.
After the verdict, Mochama expressed his joy, saying that the truth had finally come out.
“In this day and age, it is very cheap and easy to defame someone on social media but I am glad that the truth has finally come out. I believe in justice,” he said.
