Miguna sues Matiang’i, Kibicho seeks Sh1.8 billion compensation

Exiled Kenyan lawyer Miguna Miguna has moved to a Canadian court seeking Sh1.8 billion compensation in a case which he has sued Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i and his Principal Secretary, Karanja Kibicho. Dr Miguna, whose predicaments began on January 30, 2018 with the mock swearing-in of ODM party leader, Raila Odinga, as the "people's president", has also sued two companies namely System International Telemarketing (Sitel) group and Sitel Operating Corporation and Rifinitiv Limited. In his petition filed at Ontario Superior Court in Canada, Dr Miguna says that in several occasions he had suffered at the hands of the Kenyan government under instructions given by Dr Matiang'i. As a result, the fiery lawyer also says he suffered general damages for malicious prosecution, unlawful detention, torture, assault and battery. He is seeking compensation for general damages for libel, defamation and slander. Other compensations he is demanding include loss of income, intentional infliction of mental, emotional and psychological distress, trauma and anguish. Dr Miguna claims that in February 2018 he was abducted at gunpoint from his house in Nairobi by government security agents under the instructions of Dr Matiang'i and Mr Kibicho. According to Dr Miguna, after the abduction he was held incommunicado for six days. "After that I was forcefully taken to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) by security agents and was forcefully bundled into a KLM flight bound to Amsterdam," he says in the petition, adding that all this happened at time when there was a court order for his release. Other than claiming that his house in Nairobi was destroyed using military explosives, Dr Miguna also accuses the Kenyan authorities of revoking his citizenship, which he acquired by birth. He says he attempted to re-enter the country on March 26, 2018, but his efforts were foiled by officers at JKIA. This, he says, was despite a court order that barred the officers from harming him. He says he was detained inside a dirty toilet within the JKIA premises before he was finally sedated and placed inside a plane that left for Dubai. Dr Matiang'i and Mr Kibicho have 60 days to respond to the allegations that we’re tabled against them, if they will be served the petition while in Kenya. “If you fail to defend this proceedings, judgment may be given against you in your absence and without further notice to you. If you wish to defend the proceedings but you are unable to pay legal fees, legal aid may be available to you by contacting a local legal office,” a directive to the respondents contained in the petition reads in part.