NAIROBI, Kenya— Radio legend Fred Obachi Machoka, has filed a Sh 60 million defamation lawsuit against Nairobi MCA Robert Alai, accusing him of launching a malicious online attack that questioned his mental health, HIV status, and ethnic impartiality.
The defamation suit stems from a Facebook post made by Alai that, according to court documents, not only tagged Machoka’s official account but also contained accusations that were, in Machoka’s words, “baseless and damaging.”
Through his lawyer, Danstan Omari, the veteran broadcaster is demanding compensation for what he describes as a deliberate attempt to tarnish his reputation both personally and professionally.
Alai’s post, shared with his thousands of followers, read in part:
“@Fred Obachi Machoka OGW I feel your ethnic rage. It’s just ethnic. Your problem is supply of ARVs not Presidency… Does HIV bring insanity nowadays?”
Ouch. That’s not just inflammatory—it’s personal.
Machoka, known for his long-running show Roga Roga, wasn’t going to take it lying down. In his affidavit, he firmly dismissed all the claims, stating that he is HIV negative, has never used antiretroviral drugs, and has no history of mental illness. “It is both medically inaccurate and legally irresponsible to speculate about someone’s health without evidence,” he said.
But the post didn’t stop at health claims. Alai also implied Machoka harbored ethnic bias—an accusation the radio host flatly denied. He reiterated his lifelong commitment to national unity and said that throughout his 47-year media career, he has never promoted or tolerated ethnic discrimination of any kind.
His legal team argues that the damage was amplified by the tagging of his name on a public post, allowing over 480,000 of his followers and the wider Facebook community to view the allegations. “The reach and impact of the post were not coincidental—it was targeted, deliberate, and calculated to cause reputational harm,” the petition states.
Omari added that the remarks were not only defamatory but showed reckless disregard for Machoka’s stature as one of Kenya’s most respected media figures—both locally and internationally. With a career that spans nearly half a century, Machoka’s credibility, the suit argues, isn’t something to be thrown around lightly on social media.
The case is now before the courts, setting the stage for what could be a landmark ruling in Kenya’s evolving digital defamation landscape. Beyond the courtroom drama, it raises critical questions about social media conduct, personal dignity in the age of virality, and where the line should be drawn between political critique and character assassination.
