NARC Kenya leader Martha Karua sues MP Moses Kuria for Defamation

NARC-Kenya leader Martha Karua has sued Gatundu South Member of Parliament Moses Kuria for defamation over remarks linking her to alleged fixing of Deputy President William Ruto at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Karua filed the defamation suit based on remarks Kuria made at a recent prayer rally to the effect that he and Karua recruited witnesses to implicate Ruto in the Hague case.

The NARC-Kenya leader claims the statement by the controversial MP has tarnished her name causing her embarrassment in public eye, hence judging her conduct as a leader.

Karua has also sought a court order barring Mr. Kuria from making further utterances on the matter pending hearing of the case.

Karua had on Monday given Kuria 24 hours to apologize and withdraw remarks linking her to Ruto’s case at the ICC.

Through her lawyer Gitobu Imanyara, Karua called on Kuria to apologize within 24 hours failure to which she will institute legal proceedings against him.

The NARC Kenya leader further called on the Jubilee Alliance and its affiliate parties to stop mentioning her in the ongoing prayer rallies.

Karua, who was addressing a press conference at the NARC Kenya offices in Nairobi, was responding to allegations by Mr. Kuria that they together wrote to the ICC incriminating Mr. Ruto for allegedly perpetrating the 2007/08 Post Election Violence (PEV) that left at least 1,300 people dead and over 600,000 other displaced.

Karua further challenged the Deputy President to come out publicly on the allegations and stop using other people like Moses Kuria indirectly.

Kuria in a revelation made during a prayer meeting for Ruto and Sang in Mt Elgon on Sunday over the ICC cases, said the on-going cases are just an outcome of a political witch-hunt by the two contestants of the 2007 elections, PNU and ODM.

“We all know the violence experienced in 2007 came about because of political differences between PNU and ODM over the contested elections,” said Moses Kuria.

“Both ODM, led by their party leader Raila Odinga and Kisumu Senator Anyang Nyong’o, and PNU, led by myself and Martha Karua, sent letters to the ICC with names of individuals suspected to be behind the violence.”

Kuria, however, said there was no truth in the matter, saying their push to have members of the rival camp arrested over the violence was politically instigated.

“There is no truth in the names of those facing cases at the ICC. All the parties involved in the allegations should come out and dismiss the cases.”

He called on Martha Karua, Raila Odinga and Anyang Nyong’o to make an application to the ICC to clear the names of Ruto and Sang and push for the withdrawal of the cases facing them.

“I will personally lead the push to have the cases dropped after which I will ask Martha Karua, Raila Odinga and Anyang Nyong’o to follow suit,” said Kuria.