BY IRENE ONYANGO.
Kakamega Senator Dr Boni Khalwale has sued businessman Cleophas Shimanyula alias Toto demanding compensation of Sh1.5 billion for publishing defamatory statements against him, his wives and children.
Khalwale filed the suit at the High Court through his lawyer Danstan Omari and pleaded for an urgent hearing of the case.
The legislator says he has been subjected to harsh attacks steered by Toto in the past few weeks with false and malicious accusations that he had murdered his employee Kizito Moi Amukune.
He further states that his family has been subjected to multiple defamatory statements accusing one of his wives of infidelity and further accusations that his children were sired out of an illicit affair with Amukune.
“Toto has gone to both mainstream and social media spreading lies that one of Dr Khalwale’s wives had an affair with his late employee and some of his children are Amukune’s” stated Khalwale’s Lawyer.
According to Khalwale, despite the fact that two post-mortems were conducted and results made public by the Chief Government Pathologists, Toto has continued to utter defamatory statements against him and his family.
He said the accusations are meant to embarrassing him, painting him as the “MURDERER” and undermining his position as the Senator of the people of Kakamega.
The Senator, who is also a medical doctor and a farmer states in the lawsuit after trying to reason with Toto who thinks that like any other political, Khalwale is only posting a threat.
He argues that the lawsuit is meant to prove Toto and it’s not okay to mess with an individual and especially a leader’s name and go away with it.
“Toto is to serve as an example to the rest of the public and that he’s got to pay the damages caused to the family,” he said.
While addressing the press at Milimani Law Courts after filing the suit, Dr Khalwale’s Principal research officer Samwel Muhati said he was disappointed that Toto could utter such an unforgiving statement towards the Senator.
He said Khalwale is one of the best Senators in the country and a leader in the Senate.
“It hurts us as part of the Senator’s team to find that somebody wakes up one day and make very unforgiving statements against our very respected leader,” said Muhati.
Omari also told the press that his client, Khalwale is demanding a total sum of Sh 1.5 billion for damages on behalf of his 3 wives and his 17 children who have been labelled bastards by Toto.
He explained that each wife will be getting Sh 200 million and Khalwale himself Sh 500 million out of the Sh1.5billion asked and the rest divided among his child
