Jematia dares Kamket over alleged defamatory remarks in banditry blame game

Baringo Woman Representative Florence Jematia has dared Tiaty MP William Kamket to take her to court over defamatory remarks she allegedly made recently against him over runaway banditry in the region.

Mr Kamket instructed his lawyers Gordon Ogola, Kipkoech and Company advocates to write to Ms Jematia demanding an apology over her statements.

He threatened to sue the former East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) MP for allegedly defaming him and inciting the public against him.

But a defiant Ms Jematia, in response, through Tunen and Simatwo Company Advocates, has dismissed the claims and dared Mr Kamket to go ahead and take her to court.

“Our client has painstakingly gone through the contents of your letter and we wish to state that our client is not privy to any videos that have gone viral in which she has allegedly slandered your client,” says the response to Mr Kamket’s lawyers that the Nation has seen.

Questioned commitment

Ms Jematia argues that Mr Kamket lacks commitment to ending banditry in Baringo County, adding that this was illustrated by his absence at meetings meant to address the problem.

“It is worth noting that your client has been a perpetual absentee during discussions of such crucial issues,” the letter reads.

She also claimed that Mr Kamket was attempting to find a scapegoat in her “who has over the years been an epitome of good governance for the socio-economic development of Baringo County”.

The controversial MP claims that Mr Kamket’s demand letter does not bring out the exact purported slanderous statement that she made against him.

Ms Jematia argues that she was overwhelmingly elected on the account of her determination to fight banditry and other issues bedevilling Baringo County.

She says the 114,039 votes she garnered across the vast county in the August polls cannot be matched by the 17,933 that Mr Kamket received to win a second term.

“Your client is advised to stop living in oblivion and tackle the issue of banditry. Take notice that our client instructs us to deny the allegations in your letter in totality and does not admit liability,” Ms Jematia’s letter says.

Ms Jematia, an ardent crusader against banditry, has questioned Mr Kamket’s sincerity in the fight against the vice, which is believed to be perpetrated by criminals from his Pokot community.

During the burial of GSU officer John Kisoi – who was among 11 people shot dead by armed bandits in Turkana recently – in Kuikui, Baringo North sub-county on October 9, she allegedly said thousands of children in border villages were out of school after locals fled volatile areas for fear of the gun-toting criminals. She dared Mr Kamket to speak against banditry if he was indeed serious about ending it.

She insisted that the people of Tiaty, led by MP Kamket, should single out the suspects behind the mayhem and surrender the thousands of illegal guns in the hands of civilians, including those stolen from slain security officers over the years.

Kamket irked

Her sentiments irked Mr Kamket, who felt that the woman representative was making unsubstantiated accusations and tainting his image. 

In his letter to Ms Jematia, Mr Kamket demands an apology over the alleged defamatory remarks.

The MP claims that at a public gathering, Ms Jematia uttered statements that he claims were malicious and which subjected his character to question, public ridicule and condemnation.

Through lawyer Kipkoech Ngetich, Mr Kamket claims the utterances suggested that he was responsible for banditry in the troubled part of the Rift Valley.

“Your pronouncements have not only lowered our client’s reputation but also destroyed him completely as an internationally renowned journalist, respected legislator, bastion for the rights of the minority and marginalized, husband leader and father,” the letter says.

Mr Kamket had given Ms Jematia 48 hours to publish an apology against the claimed slanderous remarks in the same manner and form they were published.

He maintains that he will bring legal proceedings against Ms Jematia for defamation if she does not apologise.

“Our firm and mandatory instructions are therefore to demand, which we hereby do, that you admit liability for the defamatory actions on your part after which we shall deliberate on the quantum of damages,” the demand letter says.

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