A defamation trial in Mombasa has drawn two of Kenya’s most prominent business figures, Abu Joho and Mohammed Jaffer, into a complex dispute that highlights the fierce rivalries in the country’s port and logistics sector.
The case stems from a WhatsApp letter alleging that Abu Joho, brother of Cabinet Secretary Hassan Joho, was involved in drug trafficking, cargo theft, illegal land acquisition, and multibillion-shilling fraud. While the accusations are unproven, they have ignited a legal and reputational battle involving both tycoons.
The trial centres on Matilda Maodo Kinzani, charged under Kenya’s Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act for publishing the contentious material online. The letter went viral on social media and quickly drew attention to rivalries between Joho and Jaffer, who is a long-standing competitor in port logistics and fertilizer handling at Mombasa Port. Abu Joho testified in court that the accusations had caused personal and professional damage and suggested that the attack was strategically timed to undermine his business.
During the hearings, Jaffer has not faced charges, and his lawyer, Michael Oloo, denied any involvement, arguing that the claims linking him to the smear surfaced late and were absent from initial police reports. In a counterclaim, Oloo told the court that Kenya Railways managing director Philip Mainga drafted and forwarded the letter to Abu Joho, raising questions about its origins.
A police constable from the Anti-Terror Police Unit testified that Mainga had alerted Joho to the existence of the defamatory letter. Under cross-examination, the officer admitted no forensic checks had been done on Mainga’s phone and that investigators had not obtained call logs between Mainga and Joho. While forensic analysis traced the message to Kinzani’s device, the officer acknowledged there was no evidence directly connecting her to the WhatsApp account used to circulate it.
The case has also drawn attention to why an anti-terrorism unit is handling a defamation investigation, with the officer noting that the assignment came via instruction, even though it falls outside the unit’s usual mandate. Principal Magistrate David Odhiambo is overseeing the hearings, and further witnesses are expected to testify in the coming weeks.
The dispute underscores the intensity of competition in Kenya’s commercial ports, where business rivalries often intersect with high-profile legal battles and public scrutiny. For both Joho and Jaffer, the outcome of the case could have significant implications for their reputations and business operations.
