Keroche Breweries heiress Anerlisa Muigai has been ordered to pay her ex-boyfriend and businessman Ben Kangangi Sh2 million as damages for defamation.
High court Judge Juma Chitembwe in his ruling found Muigai guilty of defaming Kangangi and tarnishing his name through an online post that portrayed him as fraudulent.
Chitembwe said the posts which described Kangangi as an unscrupulous businessman who could not be trusted, defamed him thereby negatively affecting his image and reputation.
The ex-boyfriend said that Muigai’s post caused general damages to his businesses as well as his reputation and wanted the Nero Water CEO to pay for the damages and issue a written apology for her sins.
Justice Chitembwe found Muigai guilty of defamation after failing to prove that the statement she made about the ex-boyfriend was true.
“Given the evidence on record, it is this court’s view that it (the post) was indeed defamatory. The post directly referred to the plaintiff (Kangangi) and indicated that he was an unscrupulous businessman who conducted fraudulent businesses and could not be trusted.
“The plaintiff indicated that the claims by the defendant (Muigai) were false and that the defendant did not provide anything to controvert the same,” Chitembw ruled.
Chitembwe ruled that Muigai should pay Kangangi Sh2 million as general damages plus costs and interest.
“Given the evidence on record, I do find that a global award of Sh2 million shall be adequate compensation for the plaintiff. The plaintiff is hereby awarded Sh2 million as general damages plus costs and interest,” Judge Chitembwe ruled.
In the post which she shared in 2018, Muigai said that Kangangi approached her asking for Sh20million for a tender he had secured with the government to supply electrical cables.
She claimed that Kangangi showed him forged documents and following their meeting, gave him Sh7 million and then she helped him find Sh13 million to pay a shylock.
She also claims she gave him two of her cars as security for the loan. Muigai however says Kangangi did not pay the loan in the agreed time and even declined to pick up her calls. She argued that Kangangi and the lender were conspiring to defraud her.
Kangangi who agreed to pay Sh5 million said the posts by Muigai had caused him public ridicule and were aimed at lowering his self-esteem.
He also said the post led to numerous articles portraying him as an untrustworthy businessman.
