Nakuru Governor Kihika demands apology from Senator Karanja over multi-billion hotel remarks

In a letter by lawyer Ahmednassir Abdullahi, Kihika accuses Karanja of making “false, malicious and gravely disparaging” remarks against her.

She cited claims made by Karanja, who alleged that the governor misappropriated public funds to construct a family-owned hotel, allegedly valued at billions of shillings.

Kihika argues that the false and malicious statement made inference to her business intentionally endangered national security by reason of its proximity to the State House.

Karanja had alleged that the governor was building a hotel on Kenya Railway land neighbouring the Nakuru Memorial Hospital and State House.

She further threatened to table a motion against the governor when the Senate resumes its sittings in February 2026.

Now, Kihika has argued that Karanja’s statements were solely calculated to injure her good name and reputation.

“Your utterances were deliberately calculated to injure the reputation and standing of Her Excellency with her constituents and was solely conceived, designed and executed to expose her to hatred, contempt, ridicule and odium in order to lower our Client in the estimation of the right-thinking members of Nakuru County in particular and Kenya at large,” reads the demand letter.

Kihika, through Senior Counsel Abdullahi, said the remarks by Karanja were “a gross distortion of the truth, wild fantasy and fertile imagination on your part, grotesque to the extreme, malicious beyond comprehension, false beyond honor.”

The governor now wants Nakuru Senator to “immediately and unconditionally” retract her statement and “immediately admit liability and confess publicly to all Kenyans at large that malice was the motive of [her] remarks.”