President William Ruto's women's rights advisor Harriette Chiggai and a city-based lawyer Ignatius Muhatia are headed for a legal tussle over alleged defamation, which sprung from a WhatsApp group discussion.
In a demand letter seen by K24 Digital, Chiggai has threatened to sue Muhatia for tainting her image on March 22, 2023, on 'Western Jurists Forum' WhatsApp group.
Chiggai claims that the lawyer published defamatory statements against her in the forum during an open discussion on forestry.
According to the letter, Chiggai's advocates Kamunda Njue & Co Advocates indicate that the alleged defamatory statements were made in the forum where both Chiggai and Muhatia and group members were participants.
"Our client's (Chiggai) contribution to the conversation in seeking to make further clarification on a topic occasioned a reckless and callous response from yourself (Muhatia). You published a statement that adversely reflects on our client's reputation which she has taken time and resources to build," the advocates said in the letter.
She added that the statement was "false, scandalous, scurrilous and quite clearly made without any factual basis whatsoever".
Chiggai further says that the said statements by the lawyer were meant to expose her to humiliation, hatred, contempt and ridicule.
"The statements portray our client as incapable of leadership on merit. Your statements are outrightly false and malicious, obviously inaccurate, grossly misleading to the general public and damaging to our client's holding of her official and professional positions," Chiggai's advocate says.
Chiggai now wants the lawyer to put a written apology in the said WhatsApp Group and stop making further defamation against her.
"We have instructions to demand you're unequivocal withdraw and written apology to be approved by ourselves on behalf of our client and publish and circulate the same through the same media( Western Jurists WhatsApp group) as you published and desist from making further defamatory statements in respect of our client," Chiggai's lawyer stated.
Should Muhatia fail, the lawyer said they would sue him for damages.
