DNK International By Our Court Reporter,Nairobi
Former Kenyan Ambassador to Uganda Kiema Kilonzo has issued Kitui East MP Nimrod Mbai with a 14-day ultimatum to withdraw alleged defamatory remarks and publish an apology across print, electronic and social media, or face a defamation and character assassination lawsuit.
Kiema, who served as Kitui East MP for two terms between 2002 and 2012 before being succeeded by Mbai, accuses the legislator of making false, malicious and felonious public utterances portraying him as corrupt, fraudulent, a thief, of questionable integrity and unfit to hold public office.
In a demand letter dated January 19, 2026, Kiema’s lawyers, Tom O. K’opere & Company Advocates, warned that unless Mbai complies within the stipulated period, defamatory proceedings will be instituted without further reference to him and at his own risk as to costs.
The MP did not respond to inquiries regarding the allegations by the time of publication.
According to the demand letter, Mbai allegedly made the defamatory statements on January 5, 2026, while addressing a public rally at Nzombe Market in Kitui East Constituency.
The lawyers state that Mbai falsely claimed Kiema had travelled to China with a senior Kenyan politician to engage in business dealings with a Chinese coal mining firm involving coal discovered in Blocks A and B in Nzombe and Mutito.
The advocates’ letter, seen by this publication, states in part:
“Take notice that unless you comply with our demand within the next fourteen (14) days from the date hereof, we have instructions to institute defamatory proceedings against you without any further reference to you and at your risk as to attendant costs.”
The lawyers further demand that Mbai pays damages, the amount to be agreed upon, to compensate Kiema for injury to reputation, distress and embarrassment, and publishes a formal withdrawal and apology in a national daily and on social media platforms, particularly within Kitui County.
Mbai is also required to give a written undertaking that he will not repeat the allegations.
Kiema most recently served as Kenya’s Ambassador to Uganda, having previously held the post of Ambassador to Turkey.
The dispute revives longstanding political and legal battles surrounding the Mui Coal Basin in Kitui County.
In 2011, Kenya awarded China’s Fenxi Mining Industry Company the contract to develop coal mining in the area.
A Kenyan delegation that visited China in 2012 reported that Fenxi had the capacity to mine coal.
Documents indicate that Fenxi, incorporated in Shanxi Province, employs about 66,000 workers, produces over 30 million metric tonnes of coal annually, and operates in coalfields estimated to hold 5.8 billion metric tonnes.
The company, founded in 1956, has a registered capital of 31.6 billion yuan (Sh379 billion).
However, Kiema and other leaders later challenged Fenxi’s capacity, arguing that the company lacked active mines in China.
Their objections led to court cases, delays and heightened scrutiny of the vetting process, amid broader concerns over China–Kenya commercial engagements.
The prolonged political wrangles and litigation stalled exploitation of an estimated 400 million tonnes of commercially viable coal in Block C of the Mui basin. The coal discovery—valued at Sh3.4 trillion ($40 billion)—was widely seen as a potential catalyst for Kenya’s industrialisation agenda.
[DNK-International@January 20,2026]
