A Nairobi court has ordered blogger Edgar Obare to pay KSh6 million in damages after finding him guilty of defaming businessman Kelvin Kaume Maingi aka Koome Maingi and model Bernice Nunah.
Below is a full timeline of how the scandal started, how it spread online, and how it ended in court.
December 2022: Bernice Nunah and Koome Maingi Exposed
December 1–5, 2022: Obare Publishes the Posts
Edgar Obare posted a series of updates on the BNN Premium and Telegram and Instagram channels.
The posts included photos of Bernice Nunah and Koome Maingi on a flight from Qatar to Nairobi. The pair had attended the World Cup in Qatar, and the story is that Koome flew Bernice to the 2022 World Cup as the rich “married sponsor” or “Mubaba.”
In another picture inside the plane, Koome was holding Bernice’s handbag, further fueling the “affair” narrative. (In this writer’s unsolicited opinion, most boyfriends refuse to carry their lady’s handbag because they feel it would make them look submissive.)
The posts quickly went viral and reached over 100,000 followers across Obare’s channels and spread quickly.
Naturally, the expose rocked Koome Maingi’s marriage of less than five years to high-profile News Anchor Zubeidah Kananu.
Kanau, who once proudly wore her wedding ring on-air, dropped Koome’s name from her public profiles and no longer wore her wedding ring, sparking allegations that she was seeking a divorce due to infidelity.
December 6, 2022: Zubeidah Buries Her Mother
During the same period that Koome was gallavanting with Bernice Nunah, his then-wife Zubeidah Kananu was mourning the death of her mother, Mama Mary Halima. A period she described as “so much painful.”
Zubeidah attended the burial still using the name Zubeidah Kananu Koome, as she was married to Koome at the time. Koome Maingi was very much by Zubeidah’s side as captured by a photo showing him comforting her on the day of the burial.
But Bernice Nunah did not attend the burial to support Koome.
The timing made the online allegations even more painful for her family.
Following Weeks: More BNN “Paparazzi” Sightings
After the Qatar trip, Obare’s channel continued to post images of Koome and Bernice, once checking in to a hotel room in the Coast.
These alleged “vacation” sightings naturally strengthened the public’s belief that Bernice Nunah and Koome Maingi were romantically involved.
The plaintiffs later told the court that these claims were completely false and continued to cause them emotional distress long after they were posted.
The Lawsuit and Court Proceedings
The controversy led Bernice Nunah and Koome Maingi to file Case No. E6364 of 2022 at the Milimani Commercial Courts in 2023.
They requested a full public apology, withdrawal of all defamatory publications, a permanent injunction, damages for libel, aggravated damages, and costs.
Although both were listed as plaintiffs, only Koome Maingi attended the court sessions throughout the case. The court heard that the posts harmed both their reputations, misrepresented their personal lives, and intruded on their privacy.
The Court’s Findings
On November 7, 2025, Principal Magistrate Hosea Mwangi Ng’ang’a delivered the judgment.
The court ruled that Obare’s statements were false, malicious, and published without any verification.
It rejected his defence that he was practising citizen journalism that relies on the anonymous BNN Papparazzi.
The magistrate stated that Obare’s Telegram channel does not meet the legal definition of a newspaper and that his conduct fell far below the ethical standards required of journalists.
The court also held that his publications violated the plaintiffs’ constitutional right to privacy. It said the posts appeared driven by sensationalism and personal gain, rather than public interest.
What the Court Ordered
he court ordered Obare to issue a full public apology and remove all posts he made on December 1, 2, and 5, 2022. He must also publish the apology on the same platforms where the posts appeared.
In addition to this, the magistrate issued a permanent injunction stopping him, and anyone acting on his behalf, from ever posting similar defamatory statements about the two plaintiffs again.
Each plaintiff was awarded KSh2 million for libel and another KSh1 million in aggravated damages, bringing the total to KSh3 million per person. When interest and the costs of the suit were added, the final amount payable came to KSh6,096,658.
Public Reaction After the Judgment
Although both plaintiffs received equal damages, Bernice Nunah has publicly celebrated the ruling as though she personally received the entire KSh6 million.
She has also been pointing out in her Instagram comment section that she and Koome only got together after his divorce was finalized. Maybe she will believe it if she repeats that often enough.
Court records show that the award was shared equally and that Koome Maingi was the only plaintiff who consistently attended the hearings.
By Vivian K.