Media personality Alex Mwakideu has responded to Pastor Robert Burale’s defamation lawsuit, arguing that the pastor cannot claim damage over matters he has already made public.
Burale, a motivational speaker and pastor, filed the suit against Mwakideu and his former wife, Rozina Mwakideu, over a YouTube interview that went viral earlier this month.
In the video, Rozina described her marriage to Burale as “the darkest part of my life” and her “biggest mistake.”
Burale claims the remarks portrayed him as manipulative, deceitful, and immoral. He is seeking KSh 20 million in damages, an apology, and the removal of the video from YouTube.
In his court response, Mwakideu insisted there was nothing defamatory about the interview.
He said the statements discussed were already matters of public record. In his affidavit, he referenced Burale’s 2015 memoir, From the Strip Club to the Pulpit, in which Burale spoke openly about his past struggles with addiction, debt, and personal relationships.
Mwakideu’s lawyers said the interview was done in good faith and in the public interest. They added that Kenyan law protects free speech and media expression.
Burale, on the other hand, says the video went too far and made him a target of public ridicule. His lawyers said the statements suggested criminal behavior and moral failings and called them “false, malicious, and unjustified.”
The case has sparked talks about where free speech ends and defamation begins in Kenya’s growing online media space. The case could set a precedent for how courts deal with content about public figures.
By Vivian K.