Jumwa in legal showdown over circulation of old controversial video clip

Kenya Roads Board Chairperson Aisha Jumwa./KNA

Kenya Roads Board Chairperson Aisha Jumwa has gone to court seeking to stop the circulation of a nine-year-old video clip in which she is allegedly heard exchanging harsh words with a journalist.

In her suit, Jumwa has named political activists as respondents. She accuses them of widely sharing the recording on social media platforms, including WhatsApp and Facebook.

The former Malindi MP argues that the clip, said to have been recorded in 2016 during a telephone conversation with a journalist, is being used to damage her image.

Jumwa maintains that the continued circulation of the clip is tarnishing her reputation and undermining her political ambitions ahead of the 2027 General Election.

In a sworn affidavit, Jumwa said her words were recorded in the heat of an exchange. She claims that the recording was selectively captured and has since been weaponised for political reasons.

“It has become so notorious, extraordinary, unbearable, and uncontrollable on the part of the 1st and 2nd respondents that they are maliciously playing, circulating, sharing, and publishing the said videos whenever they become aware that I am preparing to hold meet-the-people public meetings,” her affidavit reads in part.

Her lawyer, Alfred Omwancha, described the matter as extremely urgent and asked the court to grant temporary orders to stop further circulation of the clip.

“If the said playing, circulation, posting, sharing and publishing of the videos is not stopped by an order of this honourable court, the plaintiff/applicant will suffer irreparable loss and damage as members of the public are being misled to understand and believe that the recording is recent,” he said.

However, Malindi Principal Magistrate Joy Wesonga declined to issue immediate orders and instead set the matter for an inter partes hearing on September 10, 2025.

This was the second time Jumwa’s application failed to secure urgent certification, after Resident Magistrate Irene Tamara earlier ruled that the matter did not meet the threshold of urgency and directed that it be heard in September.

During a virtual court session on Wednesday, the respondents’ lawyer asked for three days to file replying affidavits. The request was granted.

This is not the first time Jumwa has sought legal intervention over the clip.

In 2021, she secured a temporary injunction barring its circulation, but the case was later dismissed after it was not prosecuted to conclusion.