Kibakis now turn their fury on Standard Group

By Alex Ndegwa

President Kibaki’s family has turned its fury on the Standard Group with an ultimatum for an apology over footage aired in connection with the 2006 infamous raid.

The President’s four children have given KTN seven days to retract the entire news clip showing a statement by former Kabete MP Paul Muite on March 2.

Through Mohammed Muigai Advocates, the Kibaki children have threatened legal action if the apology — whose prominence and content they shall determine — is not forthcoming.

Paul Muite

"The effect and purport of the statements made by Mr Muite were in a nutshell, that, our clients planned and were involved in the raid on the Standard Group three years ago," said the letter.

Noting the statement was founded on a parliamentary report on the raid that is yet to be debated in the House-, the letter added: "We must assume that apart from being defamatory and untrue, the publication was also actuated by extreme malice, the sole intention being to injure our clients’ reputations."

Muite, who has since received a warning of court action, made the controversial statement at the Standard Group’s offices, during the third commemoration of the infamous attack by State agents on March 2.

In the commando-style attack, several computers were stolen, KTN broadcast equipment vandalised and the day’s issue of The Standard set on fire.

Yesterday, the management of the Standard Group stated in a rejoinder that the company had no intention to malign the First Family.

"The position of the Standard Group is and has always been that we have some unfinished business with the Government with regard to the raid," the Group said in a statement, adding, "We have nothing against or with the First Family."

The Standard Group, however, demanded the release "as a matter of urgency" of the report by the commission of inquiry headed by former Commissioner of Police Shadrack Kiruki.

In June 2006 President Kibaki appointed Kiruki to chair the five-member commission of inquiry into the Artur brothers saga following a security scare at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi, where they pulled a gun on Customs officials.

The Kiruki Commission completed its work and handed the report to the President in August the same year, but it is yet to be made public.

The commission was mandated to look into the various wrongful, criminal or otherwise unlawful acts and omissions, including the breach of security and other security procedures involving the Armenian brothers, Artur Margaryan and Artur Sargasyan; and their accomplices.

Two inquiries

Its investigation ran parallel to yet another conducted jointly by the Parliamentary Committee on Administration of Justice and Legal Affairs, then chaired by Muite and that of Security headed by Changamwe MP Ramadhan Kajembe.

The report, whose debate is pending in Parliament, is believed to have revealed damning details of the Government’s involvement in the Artur saga.

Lucy Kibaki

The demand letter sent to the Standard Group dated March 12, stated of Muite’s remarks: "In their natural and ordinary sense, or by necessary implication, the words meant and indeed were understood to mean that our clients were involved in the raid of The Standard Group, that they are connected to the Armenian Artur brothers and that they partake in criminal activities like destruction of property."

The President’s children — Judith, David, Anthony and James — said the imputations are of a "profoundly embarrassing character".

Even with an apology, the Standard Group won’t be out of the woods yet because the letter adds, "we may be at liberty to address the question of damages for the loss of reputation suffered by our clients."

Yesterday, the President’s family made good its threat to sue former Kabete MP Paul Muite for allegedly connecting them with the infamous raid on the Standard Group.

Through the same firm of advocates, the President’s four children gave the former legislator and senior counsel seven days to apologise to the First Family.

Legal action

Failure to give an apology, Kibaki’s family would square it out in court.

In the demand letter sent to Muite, the advocates said they were acting on behalf of Kibaki’s family.

The four siblings accused Muite of making defamatory statements against the first family during the third anniversary of the Standard raid.

The four siblings said they are aggrieved by Muite’s allegations, saying such utterances have dealt a big blow to their reputation.

"Such imputations inevitably lower reputation of any person about whom they are spoken, but in these circumstances, having regard to our clients’ standing both nationally and internationally as members of the First Family, they are especially unfortunate and malicious," added the letter.

Not public

The siblings pointed out that the genesis of Muite’s allegation were purportedly founded on a report on the raid by the Parliamentary Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs, which they claimed was never tabled in Parliament and hence not a public document.

In a swift rejoinder, Muite through his lawyer Gitobu Imanyara, said he would not apologise and looks forward to seeing them in court.

"It will be vigorously and robustly defended at your client’s risk as to costs and all other consequences ensuing there from," added the letter.

Muite dismissed the demand letter saying at no time did he mention or talk about the four children at the Standard Group raid anniversary.

 

 

Read all about: Standard Group KTN Paul Muite Artur brothers Artur Margaryan and Artur Sargasyan

 

 

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