Kenya Roads Board Chairperson Aisha Jumwa has suffered a blow after a Magistrate’s court in Malindi, Kilifi County declined her request to stop citizens from circulating a viral recording of her insulting a resident.
The audio clip recorded in 2016, is a phone conversation between Jumwa and Rensson Kombe Yeri whom she has sued alongside Idd Salim and Matano Maingi.
Jumwa claims that circulation of the recording on WhatsApp groups and other social media was damaging her image and portraying her negatively in the society.
In a virtual court session on Wednesday, Malindi Principal Magistrate Joy Wesonga declined to grant the temporary orders sought by Jumwa, but listed the matter for inter parte hearing on September 10, 2025.
Jumwa had on August 13, 2025 suffered another blow when Resident Magistrate Irene Thamara, who heard the initial application, declined to certify the matter as urgent and ordered the application to be served for inter parte hearing before Ms Wesonga’s court on September 3, 2025.
“It is hereby ordered that there is no urgency in the application and application should be served for inter partes hearing on September 3, 2025 court No. 3,” she said.
On Wednesday, the defendants’ lawyer, Ms. Lucky Mnyazi, asked the court during a virtual court session to give her three days to file replying affidavits, which Ms Wesonga granted and listed the matter for hearing on September 10, 2025.
Immediately after the virtual court session, supporters of Governor Gideon Mung’aro who had turned up in court in solidarity with the defendants, accused Ms Jumwa of attempting to use the courts to muzzle her critics and vowed to stand with the three individuals sued by Ms Jumwa, who also served as Kilifi Woman Representative.
In 2021, then Malindi Resident Judge Reuben Nyakundi granted Ms Jumwa a temporary injunction stopping the playing and publishing of the offensive clip, but the case was later dismissed after Jumwa’s lawyers failed to prosecute it.
In the recent affidavit before court Ms Jumwa, admitted to have uttered the words in retaliation for similar words uttered against her by Mr. Kombe, who she accused of selectively recording the conversation for political expediency.
“It has become so notorious, extraordinary, unbearable and uncontrollable on the part of the 1st and 2nd respondents that they are maliciously playing, circulating, sharing and publishing the said videos whenever they become aware that I am preparing to hold meet-the-people public meetings,” she says in part.
Jumwa’s legal counsel Alfred Omwancha, certified the application as extremely urgent and urged the court to issue temporary orders stopping the circulation of the recording until the matter is heard and determined.
“If the said playing, circulation, posting, sharing and publishing the videos is not stopped by an order of this honorable court, the plaintiff/applicant will suffer irreparable loss and damage as members of the public are being misled to understand and believe that the recording is recent,” he says.
