In an urgent and unprecedented legal intervention, the High Court at Milimani has issued an order restraining Kileleshwa Ward MCA Robert Alai from publishing or republishing any defamatory material about advocate Danstan Omari, after an explosive defamation lawsuit exposed the reputational fallout from viral social media posts. The ruling, delivered on 5 February 2026 by Lady Justice Janet Mulwa, comes as legal tensions escalate between two of Kenya’s most outspoken public figures.
Justice Mulwa granted interim injunctions in the suit filed by Omari, who accused Alai of posting derogatory, contemptuous, and dehumanizing statements on Facebook that referenced him by name, prompting widespread circulation and public commentary. The court orders bar Alai from making any further allegedly defamatory publications against Omari pending the outcome of the main suit.
Court documents reveal that the contested posts were widely shared on Alai’s social media account, which boasts a following of nearly 729,000 users, and attracted over 2,200 reactions and more than 900 comments, amplifying the alleged harm to Omari’s reputation and professional standing.
In his petition, Omari told the court that the statements were false and posted with malice aforethought, meant to injure his character, undermine his legal practice, and fuel public ridicule. He argued that the posts not only damaged his credibility with clients but also eroded trust in his professional capacity as an officer of the court.
The advocate’s legal team contended that Alai’s conduct contravened both common law and key provisions of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, 2018, as well as constitutional protections for dignity and reputation. Omari further maintained that, despite a formal notice of intention to sue and a demand for retraction issued in June 2025, Alai failed to retract the offensive content, necessitating judicial intervention.
Pre-trial directions are now scheduled for 4 March 2026, setting the stage for a highly charged courtroom battle that could have significant implications for online speech, defamation jurisprudence, and the limits of political commentary in Kenya’s digital public sphere.
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