Orwoba to appeal Ksh.10.5M defamation ruling, claims she’s being punished for rejecting sexual advances

Former Nominated Senator Gloria Orwoba has vowed to appeal a court ruling that ordered her to pay Ksh.10.5 million to Senate Clerk Jeremiah Nyegenye for defamation, defiantly maintaining that her sexual harassment claims remain unresolved.

Orwoba, in a video posted to social media hours after the court ruling on Tuesday, accused the Senate leadership and the Parliamentary Service Commission of shielding Nyegenye and silencing dissent.

She claimed the matter was pushed through Parliament in her absence, alleging that Nyegenye personally submitted a video clip to the Senate that was later used in court.

“My claims are still on the table. I have written an official letter to the chair of the Parliamentary Service Commission and the Speaker of the National Assembly — they ignored it,” she said.

“The matter was brought to Parliament through him because he was the one who pushed behind the scenes. They discussed it in my absence while I was in the US. He took the video to Senate and said I defamed him.”

Orwoba added: “I am a believer in the judicial system and that is why I am going to appeal this judgment. I am willing, ready and capable to pay the price.”

The ousted lawmaker further claimed that Nyegenye’s name was included in a prior apology she was forced to issue in Parliament, which she claimed was later weaponised in court.

“They forced me to put an apology, which Jeremiah, through the committee, added his name to and used it in court as a submission,” she alleged.

While maintaining that there has never been an independent investigation into her allegations against Senate Clerk, the former legislator alleged that she was being punished for rejecting Nyegenye’s sexual advances, further claiming that this led to her exclusion from legislative activities, official trips, and a six-month suspension slap.

“I think because I said I won’t sleep with this guy or be part of his sexual advances, that is why I’m being removed from certain trips, from the legislative agenda, and that is why I’m being targeted,” she lamented.

“No one has ever investigated since I said this guy is punishing me for saying No. Not even one single independent body has investigated and found indeed Jeremiah is innocent.”

According to Orwoba, the public should demand accountability from the Senate, particularly on Parliamentary travel records, which she says would reveal incriminating patterns involving Nyegenye, the Speaker, and other senior officials in the House.

“Kenyans, ask for travel reports so that you can see how your billions are being spent in strange sexual favours and trips,” she said.

“Let Kenyans see who has been travelling, how much they’ve been using, how frequently they travel, who they travel with, and what that means to the taxpayer. The moment they put up the report, you will see Nyegenye every day with someone, and you will see the leadership of the House constantly with certain people.”

Orwoba also claimed that the court ruling is politically motivated and influenced by elements within the ruling party.

“The machinery that is being used to fuel this narrative is the UDA that is actually supporting people like Jeremiah to continue with these things they are doing in Parliament,” she said.

The court, in a ruling delivered Tuesday, found that Orwoba’s social media posts accusing Nyegenye of sexual harassment were defamatory and not protected by parliamentary privilege.

The court awarded Nyegenye Ksh.8 million in general damages, Ksh.2.5 million in aggravated damages, and Ksh.1 million in default damages if Orwoba fails to issue a public apology.

She has 30 days to comply with the court’s directive to issue a public apology across the same platforms she used to make the defamatory statements, including her WhatsApp status, Facebook, X account, and a national newspaper.