Kileleshwa Member of County Assembly (MCA) Robert Alai Onyango has urged the court to dismiss a case filed against him by veteran media personality Fred Machoka, terming it baseless and founded on mistaken identity.
In documents filed before the court, Alai clarified that he is not the defendant as described in Machoka’s e-filed suit, emphasizing that the name presented in the case does not match his.
“I am not the Defendant herein as my name is Robert Alai Onyango and not the name presented as the Defendant herein,” he stated in his affidavit.
The MCA further denied operating any social media account under his name or any pseudonym, distancing himself from a Facebook account allegedly used to post defamatory remarks against Machoka.
“I neither own nor operate any social media account, specifically a Facebook account under the name Robert Alai as the Plaintiff has claimed,” he said.
Alai explained that while he serves the public as the elected representative of Kileleshwa Ward, he does not engage in social media activities and has never met or heard of Machoka personally.
“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 added.
The MCA dismissed the defamation claims as unfounded, saying he harbored no malicious intent toward the veteran broadcaster and had never made any false statements against 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 cause of action against him.
When the matter came up in court today, 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 disowned the social media account and insisted that he was not the person in question.
“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 added that his client, a respected media personality, remained ready and willing to listen and engage constructively should the right parties come forward.
Alai, on his part, urged the court to dismiss the suit with costs, arguing that it lacks merit and that the plaintiff has no cause of action against him.
