Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung’wah has denied ever making a derogatory tweet against lawyer Danstan Omari, who has filed a lawsuit against him and is seeking Sh11 million in damages.
The National Assembly Majority Leader in May tweeted, “Phew, at least I am known in Kikuyu by my people unlike the fake media-based liar only known along Koinange Street!”
However, the MP has denied making any defamatory statements or tweets against Omari.
“I am a stranger to any purported allegations of defamation, and I have gone through the purported publication, if any, and I do not find any defamatory words at all,” swears Ichung’wah.
Read: Kimani Ichung’wa Threatens to Sue Lawyer Danstan Omari for Withdrawing Defamation Suit
In his affidavit, the lawmaker says neither the tweet’s plain meaning nor any alternative meaning constitutes defamation.
The lawmaker goes on to note that Omari was not mentioned in the tweet.
In addition, Ichung’wah has requested the court to refrain from granting conservatory orders to Omari, who wants to prevent him from publishing any damaging material about him while the matter is still being heard.
The MP contends that Omari’s application aims to restrict his constitutionally protected right to free expression.
Read Also: Lawyer Danstan Omari Demands Sh11 Million in Damages from MP Ichung’wa Over Defamatory Tweet
“This freedom of expression should not be taken away on account of personal rights. Further, the application can have recourse in the way of damages if there is indeed proven defamatory utterances by myself in the future,” he says.
Omari argues that the tweet has over 191,000 views, 139 retweets, 26 quotes and 1,123 likes which means that it has been viewed by a large group of people.
The case will be mentioned on August 14 for further directions.
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