The Managing Director of Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) Philip Mainga has been sucked into a defamation case in which Mombasa businessman Abubakar Ali Joho, has claimed that a document maligning him is linked to his business rival, tycoon Mohammad Jaffer.
This is after a Mombasa court was told that Mainga is the author of the document which is at the center of the case in which the state has sued Jaffer’s personal assistant Matilda Kinzani for circulating false information about Abubakar Ali Joho.
Lawyer Michael Oloo, who is representing Jaffer in the proceedings, has claimed that the battle over the multi-billion cargo handling business at the Port of Mombasa is behind the suit filed by Abubakar against Kinzani who works for Grain Bulk Handlers Limited (GBHL) as Mr Jaffer’s personal assistant.
Abubakar and Jaffer are longstanding rivals in the lucrative port cargo and fertiliser handling sectors.
According to the police Mainga is said to have informed Abu about the existence of a defamatory document circulating on social media, which allegedly targeted him and his brother, Cabinet Secretary for Mining and Blue Economy Hassan Joho.
Oloo however told the court that Mainga allegedly drafted the defamatory letter and forwarded it to Abubakar.
“It must be a scheme of the KR MD (Mainga) and Abubakar to get back at Jaffer,” Lawyer Michael Oloo told Senior Principal Magistrate David Odhiambo in a session held at the Magistrate’s chambers away from media cameras and the public.
Abubakar is linked to AutoPort Freight Terminal, which directly competes with Jaffer’s GBHL in handling bulk fertiliser and grain cargo through the Port of Mombasa and Kenya Railways freight services.
The businessman—commonly known as “Abu”—claims that Matilda Kinzani, a personal assistant to GBHL chairman Mohamed Jaffer, defamed him by circulating false information in a WhatsApp group.
According to court proceedings, the defamation includes claims that Abu is a drug trafficker, a land grabber, and stole Sh40 billion from the Mombasa County government.
Kinzani is being charged under the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act for publishing false information on digital platforms. If convicted, she could face up to two years in prison or a hefty fine.
On May 23 this year, Abubakar told the court how Kinzani labelled him a drug dealer and land grabber, allegedly because of the business rivalry with Jaffer.
“You cannot parade me on the Internet and destroy my family’s and children’s reputation because of business competition from my business rival. When you accuse me of selling drugs by placing them in rice, accuse me of aiding my brother to steal Sh40 billion while he was a governor of Mombasa and that my company stole land, you are spoiling my reputation and business,” said Abubakar.
