National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula has threatened to sue The Standard newspaper over what he describes as a false and defamatory publication linking him to alleged nepotism in public appointments. Moses Wetang’ula has sent a demand letter to The Standard over the ‘broad-based family’ story.In a demand letter dated Sunday, July 6, Wetang’ula, through his lawyers, Millimo, Muthomi & Co. Advocates, gave the media house 48 hours to retract the story, publish an unconditional apology and stop any further circulation of the article. The letter was addressed to the Standard Group chief executive officer, the editor-in-chief and the journalist who authored the story.
Why is Wetang’ula threatening to sue The Standard? The dispute stems from a front-page article published on July 6 under the headline “broad-based family,” which featured Wetang’ula alongside several individuals serving in public offices. According to the speaker, the publication falsely suggested that the individuals were his relatives who had secured government positions through his influence. His legal team argued that the article portrayed him as a public official who uses his office to reward family members with lucrative state appointments, an act commonly associated with nepotism. “The publication leaves no doubt that our client is related to all the persons named therein and that he used that relationship to influence their appointment to public office. Consequently, the publication portrays our client, in the minds of right-thinking members of society, as a person who abuses public office to reward relatives with senior government positions, a practice commonly referred to as nepotism, among other vices,” the lawyers stated.
