NAIROBI, Kenya, July 25- Football Kenya Federation (FKF) boss, Sam Nyamweya, has filed an intention to sue local daily, Nation, for defamation over a story the mass circulation publication printed over alleged corruption in the governing body on Thursday.
In a notice to sue through his lawyer Evans Ondieki released later in the day, Nyamweya has enjoined FKF Coast Branch National Executive Committee (NEC) member, Hussein Swaleh Hussein, popularly known as Hussein Terry and the article’s author, Aggrey Mutambo as joint respondents with the Managing Editor of the daily.
Nyamweya has given the publication seven days to retract the article and issue an unreserved apology failure to which he will institute full legal proceedings.
It is not clear why Nyamweya has set his sights on the Nation since the story that details investigations of Sh34.8million missing from the federation coffers being taken up by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has been run by other media outlets.
The piece titled Football federation under probe over ‘missing’ Sh34.8m detailed confirmation from the EACC that they were investigating claims that FKF could not account for Sh34.8 million it received between November 2011 and December 2012 among other allegations of impropriety.
“We have received instructions from Mr. Sam Nyamweya, the president of FKF and the instructions we have are to address you as follows,” the notice states in its opening paragraph.
After listing the alleged libellous headlines and paragraphs, the lawyers wrote that the claims were likely to tarnish Nyamweya’s reputation as a sitting member of continental body, CAF and world governing body FIFA.
“These words are totally untrue and you were reckless and indifferent to their falsehoods. These words are innuendo that football chiefs are corrupt and not fit to hold public office,” part of the notice read.
Additionally, the lawyer stated that the publication of the story in the print and online versions of the paper exposed the football boss to international ridicule.
“This is to demand from you, which we hereby do the immediate withdrawal of the false allegations and the defamatory article through unconditional apology in a strategic page highlighting the intended apology within seven days.
“Failure to which we have strict instructions to institute legal proceedings to protect the rights of our client with all the attendant consequences as to the costs and other incidentals pertaining to litigation,” Nyamweya’s legal team demanded from the publication that is part of the largest media outlet in the East African region.
The football boss has been on the warpath to clear his name from the allegations pedalled by Terry and former NEC members, suspended pair vice-chairman, Sammy Sholei and Tom Alila.
Last weekend, Terry alleged he was assaulted by hooligans purportedly hired by Nyamweya after airing his claims at QTV, a sister television station to the newspaper on his way out of their Nairobi headquarters for an interview, a case that has been reported to police.