Sonko demands apology over Star story on alleged HIV status

Sonko demands apology over Star story on alleged HIV status

Nairobi Governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko has given The Star newspaper three days to apologise over a story published on Friday on his alleged health status.

Sonko said if the paper fails to apologise or retract the defamatory statement he will institute legal proceedings against The Star.

“….that your said malicious and spiteful statements were published without inquiring the truth or falsity thereof….that the said publication has inflicted great prejudice to and has caused our said client extreme damage to his otherwise good reputation as a businessman and community leader…,”the letter from his lawyer Cecil Miller reads.

According to the Nairobi Governor, The Star should apologise in words acceptable to him and that will be given similar prominence to the story in question.

The article published in The Star had the headline How HIV report helped Sonko out of Kamiti Maximum Prison.

The newspaper claims that the judge ruled that the Governor was ‘a HIV positive patient’ citing medical evidence allegedly on record.

It further claimed that he was released three months prior to the completion of a one-year sentence.

“These are contained in a controversial judgment issued by High Court judge Samuel Oguk (now deceased) in application No 80 of 2001,” the article reads.

“Sonko had earlier in 1998 escaped from Shimo la Tewa prison but was re-arrested in 1999,” it adds.

A spot check by Citizen TV revealed that Sonko had been arrested for allegedly obtaining money by false pretences.

The order on revision of his one-year sentence confirms that his jail term was reduced because of his HIV status.

The Nairobi Governor has never publicly spoken about his HIV status.

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