This archive report was first published on 8 August 2019.
On June 21, 2019, just two days before Kenya's national team Harambee Stars played their first match at the African Cup of Nations (Afcon), Menengai Oil Refineries published a commercial advertisement featuring Kenyan international footballer Victor Wanyama.
Wanyama, who plays for Tottenham Hotspur in England, has since filed a case at the High Court seeking compensation for the unauthorized use of his image.
According to the court papers, Wanyama claims that the action by Menengai contravened his image and personality rights, and that the image published by the company constitutes a marketing advertisement.
Wanyama, who has worked hard to build his brand and reputation over the past 12 years of his footballer career, is also seeking a declaration that he is entitled to damages as a result of the unauthorized use of his image.
"I logged onto my Twitter account and confirmed that the company on their official Twitter account was indeed using my image in a commercial advertisement," Wanyama said in a sworn affidavit.
Wanyama has worked with several companies, including Adidas, Multichoice, and Safaricom, and has been a brand ambassador for them.
