Bring it on, Nakuru Senator dares Kihika to sue her over hotel claims

Nakuru Senator Tabitha Karanja Keroche. [File, Standard]

The political feud between Nakuru Senator Tabitha Karanja Keroche and Governor Susan Kihika has escalated, with their differences turning into a court battle.

Days after Kihika issued a demand letter threatening legal action against Karanja for alleged defamation, the Senator has responded, saying she will not be intimidated into silence.

“Let her go to court. We will continue to take care of public money. If she does not want to be questioned, then she should go back home,” the Senator said.

Karanja said no amount of threats would deter her from what she described as her constitutional duty to hold the county government to account.

“When you are elected governor, you must declare your wealth, and she did. Did she have Sh10 billion in her account to construct that hotel? She must explain to Kenyans,” she said in reference to her earlier remarks about a multi-billion hotel she claimed the Governor was constructing.

The Senator said that the hotel project “remains the only visible development associated with the governor”, while residents continue to grapple with poor roads, inadequate healthcare services and shortage of medicine in county hospitals.

“I will continue to defend the people of Nakuru. I will continue to demand accountability. We will not accept poor services in this county. If speaking up means going to jail, then so be it,” she added.

Governor Kihika has threatened to sue Senator Karanja over what she describes as false, defamatory and malicious statements.

In a demand letter issued through her lawyers, the Governor accuses the Senator of making “false, gravely disparaging and ex facie defamatory” remarks during a church service in Nakuru on December 21, 2025.

According to the letter, Senator Karanja alleged that Governor Kihika misappropriated public funds to construct a family-owned hotel worth billions of shillings. The remarks further suggested the hotel was built on contested Kenya Railways land and posed a national security risk due to its proximity to State House.

Governor Kihika’s lawyer argues that the statements were reckless, malicious and calculated to damage her reputation.

“Our client has never misappropriated public funds and has never engaged in any fraudulent business,” the letter states, adding that no county funds have been used in any private or family-owned enterprise linked to the Governor.

The lawyer says the Senator’s remarks went beyond political oversight and amounted to defamation, describing them as a gross distortion of the truth intended to politically undermine the Governor.

Kihika has demanded an immediate and unconditional retraction, a public admission of liability and a formal apology issued with the same prominence as the original statements.

The Senator has been given seven days to comply, failure to which the Governor says she will institute defamation proceedings.

Although the were close allies during the 2022 election campaigns, Senator Karanja has emerged as one of Governor Kihika’s harshest critics.

She took issue with Governor Kihika’s decision to seek maternity services abroad, arguing that it sent the wrong message at a time when women in Nakuru allegedly suffer due to poor services in county health facilities.

She proposed legislation to bar elected leaders from seeking medical treatment outside the country, saying leaders should instead invest in strengthening local health systems.

“I think as senators we should come up with a law where if you are elected as a governor or president, you should not be allowed to go outside the country to seek medical services,” she added.