Written by The Governor of Siaya County, honorable James Orengo has found himself on the wrong side and he has been heavily charged despite the fact that he is also a Senior Counsel. The Kisii Senior Resident Magistrate made his ruling on the case that was tabled last year.
Governor James Orengo was accused by the mother of the immediate former Governor of Kisii County, honorable James Ongwae. She learnt of the insults while listening to a local radio station at the time when the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Alliance held a rally in Kisii.
She stated that James Orengo referred to her as a mother who is not capable of raising a person who deserves a position of high stature without any basis. She went ahead to say that the words ruined her reputation and her good standing among her family members, friends and the residents of Kisii County.
She added that the Siaya County Governor infringed her rights by uttering defamatory statements that painted her as a very bad person and the general public now see her as a very bad person and she has also faced a lot of mockery from the residents of Kisii County.
Lawyer Wanyama who was representing her in court stated that honorable James Orengo made the statement because he was getting back at his former ally, honorable James Ongwae who defected from the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Alliance and joined President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza Alliance.
The lawyer also said that the statement is untrue and they were only meant to embarrass Grace Moraa Ongwae and insult her for no reason. He also said that the rally was aired in an online platform which had very many subscribers and therefore it reached a lot of people.
Magistrate Mutai then ruled that he was satisfied with all the evidences and he stated that the defamatory remarks were indeed proven. He also said that governor James Orengo who was the respondent in the case, was not remorseful when he appeared before him but instead he justified his attacks on James Ongwae’s mother.
The Kisii Senior Resident Magistrate slapped the Siaya County Governor with a 1 million fine for speaking defamatory remarks to Grace Moraa Ongwae. He also ordered the Governor to publish and upload a public apology to James Ongwae’s mother and it should have National coverage.