Lawyers representing Kimilili MP Didmus Wekesa Barasa have demanded the removal of social media posts they allege are defamatory of their client, giving Stephen Mutoro two hours to comply or face legal action.
Advocates Danstan Omari, Shadrack Wambui and Jeff Kang’ethe addressed the press outside Milimani Law Courts, where they outlined the demands contained in a letter dated September 21, 2026.
According to the demand letter, the lawyers accuse Mutoro of publishing what they describe as defamatory statements against Barasa between September 14 and September 21, 2026, alleging that the publications were aimed at lowering the MP’s status and reputation.
The lawyers have demanded that Mutoro immediately retract and pull down all the publications relating to Barasa from his social media platforms within two hours of receiving the demand.
They have also demanded Sh100 million in damages, citing what they describe as reckless defamatory publications.
The lawyers have warned that failure to comply within the stipulated two hours would see them institute legal proceedings against Mutoro.
The demand comes as Barasa continues to defend his academic credentials in a constitutional petition filed by the Consumers Federation of Kenya (COFEK) against the Commission for University Education and Murang’a University of Technology, with Barasa listed as an interested party.
In his replying affidavit, Barasa says the petition is based on what he terms a speculative and inaccurate account of his academic history, and asks the High Court to dismiss both the petition and the application.
He states that he sat his KCSE at Kimilili Boys Secondary School in 2000, attaining a B-minus, before pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration at Mount Kenya University, graduating with Second Class Honours, Upper Division, in 2021.
He says he subsequently obtained a Master of Arts in Public Administration and Management in 2022 before being admitted to the Doctor of Philosophy in Public Administration programme at Murang’a University of Technology in January 2023.
Barasa says his doctoral progression included a concept paper presentation, research proposal defence, data analysis and results presentation, seminar and journal paper presentations and an oral thesis defence.
He says his thesis was titled “Branding Strategies by County Governments on Service Delivery Among Small and Medium Enterprises in Bungoma County, Kenya.”
According to the affidavit, Murang’a University issued him with a Letter of Completion of Studies dated June 16, 2026, confirming that he had fulfilled the requirements for the award of a Doctorate in Public Administration.
Barasa also disputes the suggestion that his admission to the PhD programme was based on an engineering qualification.
He maintains that his admission was based on his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Public Administration, describing the suggestion that he is an engineer as a central premise of COFEK’s case that he says is false.
The MP further argues that COFEK relied on publicly available information and official biographies rather than examining his actual academic records before filing the case.
He says the documents attached to his affidavit demonstrate that his doctoral studies were conducted through the university’s established academic process and were supervised through various stages before completion.
Barasa also argues that COFEK’s complaint to the Commission for University Education was lodged on June 25, 2026, while the court petition followed on July 27, 2026, before the regulator had completed its investigations.
He therefore maintains that the case is premature and that the court should not halt an academic process that, according to his affidavit, had already been completed.
Barasa further alleges that the proceedings have a political objective, citing references in the complaint to his political ambitions and the next general election cycle.
This remains an allegation made by Barasa in his affidavit and is not a finding by the court.
The lawyers now want the alleged defamatory publications pulled down and retracted within two hours, alongside payment of Sh100 million in damages, failure to which they have threatened court action.
Meanwhile, Barasa is asking the High Court to dismiss the COFEK petition, maintaining that his academic progression and doctoral studies are supported by documentary records and that the challenge to his PhD is based on speculation.
The court is yet to make a final determination on the competing claims.
