Court Orders Keroche Heiress Anerlisa Muigai to Pay a Businessman Sh2 Million for Defamation

Keroche Breweries heiress Anerlisa Muigai has been ordered to pay businessman Benson Kangangi Sh2 million for tarnishing his name. 

Kangangi sued Anerlisa for defamation over a post she made on her social media pages in 2018, referring to him as an unscrupulous and untrustworthy businessman who conducted fraudulent businesses.

The businessman told the court that the post made on Anerlisa’s Facebook and Instagram pages caused general damages to his businesses as well as his reputation. He asked the court to order Anerlisa, who is the CEO of Nero Water company, to pay for the damages and issue a written apology.

In a ruling dated March 31st, High Court Judge Said Juma Chitembwe found Anerlisa guilty of defamation and ordered her to pay Sh2 million to the plaintiff as damages.

The judge said the defendant failed to prove that the statement she made about Kangangi was true.

"Given the evidence on record, it is this court's view that it (the post) was indeed defamatory. The post directly referred to the plaintiff and indicated that he was an unscrupulous businessman who conducted fraudulent businesses and could not be trusted. I am satisfied that in the absence of any contrary evidence, the plaintiff was defamed as the evidence on record does prove that the plaintiff’s character was negatively affected," Justice Chitembwe ruled. 

The amount will cover compensation, general damages, and interest.