By Judith Gicobi
Miguna Miguna, a renowned attorney, has sued Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i in Canada and is demanding Ksh1.7 billion in damages for harms sustained during his deportation.
The outspoken attorney also named Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho and two other foreign corporations in his historic lawsuit, according to court documents made available by Miguna on Thursday, June 16.
Miguna testified before the court that his expulsion in 2018 had harmed his career and image. Miguna noted that damages for unlawful imprisonment, violence, and slander, among other things, would be covered by the cost.
“The Plaintiff claims from the Defendants, jointly and severally general damages for malicious prosecution, unlawful detention, torture, assault and battery in the sum of Ksh1.1 billion and general damages for libel, defamation and slander in the sum of Ksh587,050,000,” read the court documents in part.
Miguna testified before the Ontario Court of Justice that he was a reputable attorney and that, as a result of his deportation to Canada, his character had been slandered.
He further informed the court that the police had demolished his home while he was being arrested, violating his right to privacy. Miguna is seeking Ksh234,820,000 in damages for the invasion of his privacy. He said that Matiang’i and Kibicho were giving direct commands to the police.
“On February 2, 2018, the plaintiff was abducted at gun-point from his house in Nairobi, in the Republic of Kenya, by Kenya government security agents under the direct command of the defendants Matiang’i and Kibicho. He was detained incommunicado without charge in contravention of the Constitution of Kenya, and tortured for a period of six days.
“On the sixth day, heavily-armed Kenya security agents under the direct command of the defendants Matiang’i and Kibicho forcefully drove the plaintiff to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (hereinafter referred to as the “JKIA”) in Nairobi and forced him into a KLM flight bound for Amsterdam,” Miguna’s suit papers read in part.
