This archive report was first published on 8 August 2019.
On August 7, 2019, Victor Wanyama, the Harambee Stars captain and Tottenham Hotspurs midfielder, took a Kenyan firm to court over the unauthorized use of his image.
Wanyama's case against Menengai Oil Refineries Limited was filed at the Nairobi Milimani high court. The footballer claims that the firm used his image in a tweet on June 21, 2019, the day the Africa Cup of Nations kicked off in Egypt.
According to Wanyama, the tweet, which read, 'If you believe it, you can do it, we at the Menengai would like to wish our boys all the best in the Africa Cup of Nations,' was meant to promote the company's business, not to show support to the Kenya national team.
Wanyama feels that the use of his image in the tweet without his consent has infringed on his personality and image rights.
He argues that if the message was meant for the whole team, a photo comprising the entire team could have been used.
Wanyama wants the court to declare that Menengai violated his image and personality rights, and that the image published by Menengai Group constitutes a marketing advertisement.
He also seeks damages from the respondent as a result of the violation of his image.
