Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru has bowed to public pressure and withdrawn her demands against rapper King Kaka, whose “Wajinga Nyinyi” song she claimed defames her.
In a December 15 letter from Kiragu Wathuta & Company Advocates, the governor gave the musician 48 hours to pull down the song, apologise and issue a full, unconditional admission of liability in writing.
She warned that he would face multiple law suits if he didn’t act accordingly.
Ms Waiguru changed her position on Friday, saying she had chosen to deal with King Kaka, real name Kennedy Ombima, single-handedly and that she would not file a case against him.
“Having watched the antics of King Kaka in the last couple of days with reports of fake assassination attempts and DCI summons, I recognize that he’s a confused attention-seeking young man. I have therefore made the decision not to proceed with the King Kaka suit,” the county boss wrote on her social media pages.
“It is unfortunate when talented youth are taken advantage of by some politicians and used to settle political scores. As I have chosen in previous occasions of this nature, I will contend with their masters.”
The governor said that although she agrees with most Kenyans on the existence of rampant corruption, the rule of law must be followed in the fight against the vice.
“Its an inescapable fact that corruption has stifled development and adversely crippled our economy, and that is why we should all support ongoing efforts to fight this scourge,” she said.
“But even us we engage in the broader discourse on how to rid our nation of corruption, let us do so within the confines of the law and base our arguments on facts and empirical evidence, not hearsay, propaganda and innuendo, which only assist in hiding the true purveyors of this deadly scourge.”
Governor Waiguru’s decision followed harsh criticism by social media users and leaders, who laughed off her decision to institute legal charges against the rapper.
In the song, King Kaka satirises political leaders for false promises, plunder of public resources and failure to deliver on their promises to the public.
Among those who supported it were 2013 presidential aspirant Abduba Diba, Kenya Film and Classification Board Chief Executive Officer Ezekiel Mutua and constitutional lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi, who offered the musician legal services.
“I said and I repeat … I will give legal representation to [Rabbit the King] against anyone who sues him [over “Wajinga Nyinyi”]. I’m of the considered view that no one amongst the ruling elite or the masses was defamed,” the lawyer said via Twitter following the governor’s decision. “Ugly, crass and lewd commentaries on society are privileged.”
After the song went viral and received numerous reactions, King Kaka asked for protection but did not specify from whom.
He later said the Directorate of Criminal Investigations summoned him, but the DCI said this was untrue.
