The court has ordered a whistleblower to pay a former Cabinet Minister Ksh10 million in a defamation case.

John Githongo has been ordered by the Court of Appeal to pay former Cabinet Minister Chris Murungaru Ksh10 million for defamation.

The three-judge bench reviewed the damages that the High Court had awarded Murungaru in 2019, from Ksh27 million to Ksh10 million.

This was after Githongo published materials on what came to be known as the Anglo Leasing scandal where Kenyan taxpayers lost more than Ksh3.6 billion for a contract awarded to Anglo Leasing finance.

The firm had convinced the government that it was in a position to supply Kenya with a system to print high technology passports and naval ships as well as the construction of forensic laboratories.

The High Court had directed Githongo to pay Dr murungaru Ksh20 million in general damages, Ksh5 million in exemplary damages and Ksh2 million in special damages.

Githongo, a former Ethics and Governance Permanent Secretary in President Mwai Kibaki's administration challenged the decision after he named the ex-Minister and other officials in government as the key architects of the scandal.

Taxpayers lost more than Ksh3.6 billion and Githongo claimed Murungaru was among the architects of this scandal and they used an Anglo Leasing finances...