This archive report was first published on 17 October 2019.
On January 13, 2017, Nelson Marwa, then Coast Province regional coordinator, made public remarks that painted Mombasa County Assembly Speaker Arub Ibrahim Khatri as a notorious drug lord.
The defamatory statements led to a defamation suit filed by Khatri against Marwa, who is now the PS for Labor and Social Protection.
On [published_at], the High Court, presided over by Hon Justice Dora Chepkwony, ruled in favor of Khatri, ordering Marwa to pay Ksh. 5 million in general damages and an extra Ksh. 1 million in exemplary damages, totaling Ksh. 6 million.
According to the court judgment, Marwa's allegations against Khatri were serious and had caused significant harm to the speaker's public reputation and security.
The court also issued a permanent injunction blocking Marwa from defaming or intimidating Khatri, stating that there was no evidence linking the speaker to any drug-related offenses.
Khatri had argued that the defamatory statements had caused him to suffer personal and professional consequences, including being turned down for marriage proposals.
“I have suffered a lot and I am still suffering. I am young and it is difficult to get married. I was turned down two times,” Khatri was quoted as saying.
