Kileleshwa Member of County Assembly (MCA) Robert Alai Onyango has asked the court to throw out a defamation case filed against him by veteran media personality Fred Machoka, arguing that the lawsuit is baseless and built on a case of mistaken identity.
In his affidavit filed before the court, Alai clarified that the name cited in Machoka’s e-filed case does not match his, insisting that he is not the individual being accused.
“I am not the Defendant herein as my name is Robert Alai Onyango and not the name presented as the Defendant herein,” he stated.
The MCA further distanced himself from the alleged defamatory posts that Machoka claims were published on social media. Alai denied operating any Facebook account under his name or alias, stressing that he has no connection to the page in question.
“I neither own nor operate any social media account, specifically a Facebook account under the name Robert Alai as the Plaintiff has claimed,” he affirmed.
Alai added that although he serves as an elected representative for Kileleshwa Ward, he does not personally engage in social media activities and has never met or interacted with Machoka.
“I have never at any given moment met, seen, or even heard of the Plaintiff herein, and hence I have no idea about his alleged standing or reputation in society,” he said.
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The MCA dismissed the defamation claims as entirely unfounded, emphasizing that he holds no grudge against Machoka and has never made any statements about him.
“I have never defamed nor uttered any falsehoods about the Plaintiff as I have never heard about him nor do I know of him,” Alai stated, urging the court to find that there is no valid cause of action against him.
When the case came up in court on Tuesday, Machoka’s lawyer Danstan Omari told the judge that his client was open to an amicable settlement. However, the court heard that the defendant had already disowned the social media account and maintained that he was not the person accused.
“The judge asked whether the parties have tried to settle the matter, but the court was informed that they have disowned and said that it is not them. You cannot enter into a discussion with a person who says it’s not him. It seems we are dealing with a case of mistaken identity,” Omari told the court.
Omari noted that Machoka, a respected figure in Kenya’s media industry, remained willing to listen and engage constructively if the right party was identified.
Alai, on his part, asked the court to dismiss the suit with costs, insisting that it lacks merit and that the plaintiff has no valid claim against him.
The post Robert Alai Denies Defaming Fred Machoka, Cites Mistaken Identity in Court appeared first on Bossnana.
