Court Says Media Can Report on Sakaja Protest Claims as Defamation Suit Proceeds

The High Court has ruled that media houses are free to continue reporting on claims linking Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja to the June 17 Gen-Z protest violence, pending the outcome of his defamation suit.

Governor Sakaja had sought interim orders to restrain a media company and its journalists, Evans Habii and Nyaboge Kiage, from publishing stories he argued portrayed him as a sponsor of chaos. He told the court that the publication had injured his reputation and warned that such reporting could recur during future commemorations of the anti-Finance Bill demonstrations.

However, the defendants maintained that their coverage was based on events and statements made during the protests.

In his ruling, Justice Sifuna declined to issue a gag order, saying the matter would be determined during the full hearing of the defamation case. The judge noted that issuing such restrictions at this stage would curtail media reporting before the merits of the dispute are tested.

The case now moves to full trial, where the court will weigh the Governor’s claims of reputational damage against the journalists’ defense of fair and contextual reporting. The outcome is expected to set a key precedent in balancing political accountability and press freedom.