City lawyer Harrison Kinyanjui has filed a criminal complaint with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) against businessman and political commentator Michael Mutembei Makarina Kibutha over a social media post he claims falsely linked him to a KSh 25.4 million bribery scandal involving the Supreme Court.
In a complaint dated August 17, Kinyanjui accused Makarina of publishing a video on his X account carrying the caption: “EACC arrests judge and Rigathi linked lawyer red-handed in bribery scandal linked to Supreme Court impeachment case.”
Kinyanjui claims the post identified him as the lawyer allegedly arrested over a bribe intended to influence Supreme Court cases relating to former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
The lawyer has strongly denied the allegations, saying he has never been arrested or charged with any bribery-related offence.
He told the DCI that the publication was false and malicious, designed to damage his reputation and professional standing built over 25 years in legal practice.
The complaint cites Section 27(1) of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, 2018, which addresses the wilful communication of material that is grossly offensive or likely to cause detriment to another person.
Kinyanjui also told the DCI that he had contacted Makarina and asked him to take down the post, but the businessman refused.
The criminal complaint comes days after Kinyanjui, through his lawyers, issued Makarina with a demand for KSh 50 million in damages over the alleged defamatory publication, also seeking a retraction and warning of further legal action should he fail to comply.
The demand letter was copied to both the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and the DCI.
The EACC has since distanced itself from the claims circulating on social media, issuing a statement on August 17 clarifying that it had not conducted any operation involving the arrest of a High Court advocate or other prominent individuals over an alleged bribery scheme.
The commission described the reports as false and misleading and urged the public to disregard them.
Makarina had not publicly responded to either the criminal complaint or the KSh 50 million damages demand at the time of publication.
