Pesky blogger Cyprian Nyakundi will spend his Christmas mulling over the possibility that he could go to jail for six months for disrespecting the courts. He could find himself in further trouble should the High Court attach his property for disobeying its orders.
The blogger was on Thursday found to be in contempt by Lady Justice Mwihaki Njuguna for continuously discussing matters before court in contravention of laid down rules and procedures. Justice Njuguna ordered Nyakundi to appear before her on January 19th 2017 for sentencing, meaning that on this day, she will determine what the penalty that befits Nyakundi’s contemptuous actions.
It is common practice that matters before court are not canvassed outside of the hallowed altars of justice in honour to the authority of the courts and in order to preserve the dignity of the processes thereof. Nyakundi got himself in trouble for breaching the law on this score.
Nyakundi was sued by Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore for defamation on June 17the, 2016, where the telecommunication firm’s boss sought to stop the blogger from “publishing or causing to be published either by his agents, servants in any of his blogs or media platform any statements defamatory or otherwise concerning the plaintiff.”
The court issued interim orders stopping Nyakundi from defaming Collymore on July 18. Three weeks later, Collymore was back in court claiming that Nyakundi has disobeyed the orders and sought that Nyakundi be committed to civil jail for the time the court would determine and/or attach his property.
Nyakundi had feigned ignorance of the July 18th court order barring him from blogging disparagingly against Mr Collymore. But the court found that Nyakundi’s argument cannot stand because he is represented by advocates on record in that case.
Nyakundi now has to cross his fingers awaiting the January 19th court verdict.
[crp]
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