Murungaru protests addition of witnesses in defamation case

Former Internal Security minister Christopher Murungaru on Wednesday protested the addition of new defense witnesses in his defamation suit against former Ethics and Governance PS John Githongo.

Through his lawyers Kioko Kilukumi and Esmail Abas, Dr Murungaru told High Court judge David Onyancha that he should have been notified earlier of Mr Githongo's intention to bring more witnesses.

Mr Kilukumi said his team had all along known that Mr Githongo was the only witness set to testify in his own defense.

“We ought to have been given details earlier, we cannot be presumptuous, we only know of one witness and we will agree to new witnesses only with a good reason,” said Mr Kilukumi.

However Mr Githongo's lawyer Andrew Wandabwa insisted that proceedings in the case had necessitated the addition of other witnesses.

Mr Wandabwa said his client was free to bring more witnesses for his defense since he was not merely restricted on pleadings already filed by the former minister but also on the basis of evidence presented before the court against him.

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Dr Murungaru had four witnesses who appeared before Mr Justice Onyancha on Tuesday and Wednesday. They included a former Nyeri politician Eliud Njuma, his chief campainer Gladys Wanjiku, an Anglican clergy Bildad Wang’ondu Maina and Nicholas Warui - a farmer from the former minister’s backyard.

Mr Njuma had said in his testimony that following the release of the Anglo Leasing dossier by Mr Githongo, a number of people started accusing him of supporting a ‘thief while referring to Dr Murungaru’.

Rev Maina told the court that he had known Dr Murungaru as a credible and honest man until the dossier was released, while Mr Warui, a primary school leaver, testified that he read part of the dossier from the internet and newspapers.

Following their testimony, Mr Githongo is set to bring his witnesses for his defense in the defamation case filed against him by Dr Murungaru relating to the Anglo leasing scandal.

Before the case was adjourned for a later hearing, earlier Wednesday, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga had walked into the court in a bid to show solidarity to Mr Githongo.