Judge awarded Ksh.6M in suit against local newspaper

The High Court in Kisumu has dismissed an application seeking to stay an execution of a judgment that awarded a Mombasa-based judge Ksh.6 million compensation in a defamation suit.

Justice Esther Maina, in her ruling on Thursday, said the application lacked merit, thereby giving the green light for settling of the damages sought by the complainant Justice Anne Omollo.

The application had been filed by the defendants’ advocates, citing the hefty penalty awarded to their clients.

In the judgment of December 21, 2017, the court had also awarded the applicant an order for written apology for three consecutive days and costs of the suit.

Earlier, Gabriel Mwangi representing the Star newspaper confirmed that they had filed a notice of appeal in the Appellate court to challenge the judgment.

The suit was filed in 2015 by Justice Anne Omollo after the newspaper published a story implicating her in a Ksh.1.6 million scandal contained in an ODM party task force report on financial mismanagement at the Kisumu County Assembly.

The task force was chaired by ODM Executive Secretary Oduor Ong’wen.