City lawyer Danstan Omari has given Vincent Kemosi Mogaka 48 hours to retract statements he says falsely portrayed him as incompetent, dishonest and professionally worthless.
By Elizabeth Angira
Danstan Omari, a prominent city lawyer and managing partner of Danstan Omari & Associates Advocates, has issued a demand letter to former MP Vincent Kemosi Mogaka seeking KSh 30 million in compensation, a full public apology and the immediate deletion of a video he says contained malicious and defamatory statements about his character and professional career.
The letter, dated November 13 and signed by Advocate Martina Swiga, centres on a public address delivered by Mogaka in Ekegusii and later posted on his Facebook page, “Hon. Kemosi Mogaka,” on September 15. According to the letter, Mogaka urged the public not to listen to Omari, alleged he had engaged in deceitful conduct in 1993, claimed he was dismissed from employment and ridiculed him for pursuing legal education at an advanced age. Mogaka also allegedly claimed Omari had never won a single case in court.
Omari’s firm has rejected every allegation as false, malicious and reckless. The letter sets out his professional record in unambiguous terms: a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Nairobi in 2008, admission to the Kenya School of Law in 2009 and admission to the Roll of Advocates on November 4, 2011. He subsequently obtained a Master of Laws degree and between 2012 and 2022 served as a law lecturer at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa. He has practised at the Bar for more than 15 years, representing individuals, corporations, constitutional offices, public institutions and religious organisations in courts and tribunals across the country.
The letter argues that the seriousness of Mogaka’s statements is compounded by the public platform on which they were made — reaching not only people who know Omari personally, but his existing clients and prospective ones. The firm maintains that while Mogaka is entitled to hold political opinions and support any leader he chooses, that right stops well short of making false allegations of professional failure and personal dishonesty. “Political differences cannot justify defamatory attacks upon another person’s character and professional standing,” the letter states.
Within the 48-hour window, Omari demands that the offending video and Facebook post — along with any other versions circulated — be permanently deleted. He also requires a full, unequivocal and unreserved public apology and retraction, published in both Ekegusii and English, withdrawing each of the specific allegations made. The apology must appear on the same platforms used to disseminate the original statements, with comparable prominence and visibility. A written undertaking that Mogaka will not repeat or circulate further defamatory statements is also required.
The KSh 30 million demand is framed as compensation for what Omari describes as grave injury to his personal reputation, professional integrity, dignity, goodwill and legal practice — harm he says was inflicted publicly and without justification.
The letter closes with a clear warning: failure to comply within the stipulated period will result in legal proceedings being filed without further notice.
By the time of publishing, Mogaka had not publicly responded to the demands.
