Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) organising secretary Mithika Linturi has sued Meru governor Isaac Mutuma for defamation, as the feud between the friends turned foes escalates.
Mr Linturi is seeking Sh50 million in general damages, besides other aggravated and exemplary damages.
He also wants the court to order Governor Mutuma to publish an apology in two daily newspapers with nationwide circulation, on his social media platforms, and pronounce it at a public rally in Meru County.
The former Agriculture Cabinet Secretary filed the suit on Tuesday, coinciding with Mr Mutuma’s first anniversary as Meru governor, having been sworn into office on March 17, 2025.
He moved to court after a seven-day notice served on the governor to issue a public apology, which lapsed.
Governor Mutuma is accused of publishing ‘highly injurious and false statements’ about Mr Linturi on March 8, 2026, at a public rally held at Makutano Shopping Centre within Meru County.
In the suit documents seen by the Nation, Mr Linturi cites the governor for linking him to an arson attack and looting of Magunas Supermarket, Makutano and Maua National Cereals and Produce Board depot, incidents that happened in Meru in June 2025 during the second wave of Gen Z protests.
Mr Linturi now wants Mr Mutuma and or his agents restrained from “further publishing, printing, broadcasting, uttering, or in any way circulating defamatory words set out in the suit or any similar defamatory words.”
He describes himself as a “distinguished former Cabinet Secretary of the Republic of Kenya, a former Senator, the National Organizing Secretary of the DCP party, a holder of the prestigious National Honour of the Elder of the Order of the Golden Heart (E.G.H.), the duly installed spokesperson of the Meru community and a gubernatorial aspirant in the 2027 general election.”
He says he is also a lawyer and a prominent businessman, whose extensive investments and entrepreneurial activities contribute significantly to the economy.
Mr Linturi further tells the court that he has cultivated an impeccable reputation as a man of integrity, honesty, and moral rectitude, besides being “a respected elder and a role model within the Meru community and beyond.”
“The said publication occurred during a heavily attended public political rally held at Makutano Shopping Centre within Meru County, a strategically chosen and highly visible public forum, where the Defendant knew or ought to have known that his utterances would reach the widest possible audience and inflict maximum damage upon the Plaintiff’s hard-earned reputation.” Mr Linturi states.
He argues that the defamatory remarks were made during a high-profile political event of national significance, graced by the Deputy President, as well as national and county leaders.
“The offending words were uttered in the Kimeru and Swahili languages, deliberately recorded by multiple media personnel present at the scene, and were subsequently widely broadcast by leading local and national television and radio stations,” he states, adding:
“The said defamatory statements were extensively shared, reshared, and circulated across various social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter (X), TikTok, and WhatsApp groups, where they were instantaneously disseminated to millions of users. This multi-platform, viral propagation ensured that the falsehoods achieved maximum and uncontrollable circulation, thereby exponentially magnifying the harm, humiliation, and reputational injury suffered by the plaintiff.”
The opposition leader also wants to find that Governor Mutuma acted with malice, as the arson attacks have been investigated and suspects arraigned in court.
Mr Linturi says he has never been summoned by the police over the criminal activities of June 2025, nor has the governor recorded any statement against him.
The former Meru Senator says he now risks facing disciplinary action from the DCP party over the accusations.
“The malicious falsehoods have thus already set in motion a chain of real and palpable consequences against the plaintiff. The plaintiff now stands accused before his own Party…The malice was specifically directed at undermining the plaintiff’s popular support, destroying his political marketability where the defendant aimed to portray the plaintiff as a person unfit for leadership under chapter six of the constitution, thereby damaging his viability as a candidate for Governor or any other public office.” Mr Linturi says in court documents.
The matter has been filed at the Meru High Court through Mutuma Gichuru and Associates Advocates.
dmuchui@ke.nationmedia.com
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