Kiambu Governor William Kabogo has asked the court to punish Kabete Member of Parliament Ferdinand Waititu for linking him with drug dealing.
The governor told High Court Judge Beatrice Thuranira on Tuesday that the claims by the MP that he was involved in drug trafficking were malicious, untrue and meant to injure his reputation.
In the defamation suit filed in April this year, Kabogo wants Waititu, who is also vying to be Kiambu governor, to be held liable for diminishing his reputation and defaming him in the eyes of his peers.
However, Waititu's lawyer, Harrison Kinyanjui, said the application is an abuse of the court process as there is no lawful claim against him as alleged by Kabogo.
He argued that the governor was named by the then Internal Security Minister George Saitoti as one of Kenya’s drug kingpins based on a report published by the Government of United States of America in 2010.
“There is no jurisdiction conferred upon this court to entertain the suit and the pleas are express time barred having arisen in year 2010,” Waititu told court.
The MP urged the court to dismiss the case, arguing that the suit is frivolous and lacks merit. The defamation suit arose from a comment allegedly made by Waititu in April 2016.