The chairman of Stabex International Ltd Jackson Chebett has sued former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua for defamation for allegedly linking him to the recent fuel saga.
Mr Chebett says his company is not involved in the government-to-government framework and has no proxy relationship with President William Ruto, as claimed by Mr Gachagua.
“The 1st plaintiff (Stabex) has no involvement whatsoever in the G2G framework, no proxy relationship with the President, and no illicit dealings,” the petition states.
He says Mr Gachagua’s utterances, which were repeated on several occasions, were actuated by malice, political jealousy and were reckless.
“He failed to verify any facts, ignored public records and deliberately chose inflammatory language to incite public outrage for political gain,” the petition states.
Mr Chebett says he has built a thriving and reputable business empire through decades of hard work, integrity, lawful business practices and strict regulatory compliance in the energy and real estate sectors.
“The plaintiffs are of good standing and have painstakingly built solid reputations solely through merit, transparency and sheer determination,” he added.
He said the statements made by Gachagua were understood by right-thinking members of society to mean that his commercial success has been achieved through corrupt dealings, political patronage and abuse of State power rather than lawful business practices.
Mr Chebett said Stabex is reputable privately owned oil marketing company with over 200 retail stations and 14 bulk depots across East Africa.
He is also a director and shareholder of Ultra Eureka ltd, which recently acquired Raphael Tuju’s prime property in Karen through public auction.
He said as a result of the publications, he and his firms suffered severe reputational harm, loss of goodwill, potential loss of contracts and emotional distress. “The damage is ongoing and irreparable without court intervention,” he said.
The businessman said he wrote a formal demand letter to Mr Gachagua on April 9, but he has allegedly refused to retract the statements and apologise.
He wants the court to issue a permanent injunction restraining the former Deputy President from further publishing the defamatory statements, retract the statements and offer him an apology.
Mr Chebett will also be seeking damages for reputational harm caused on him and his two firms.
