Migori School Sues NTV Kenya Over Alleged Defamatory Documentary Dubbed 'Holy Betrayal'

 

Rongo school bus

A school in Rongo has sued a local TV station after it ran a documentary titled “Holy Betrayal”, where the institution was allegedly mentioned adversely for practising “weird Christian teachings" in the learning institution.  Rongo Success Academy has denied linkage with the Seventh Day Adventists Church.  Through lawyer Danstan Omari, Rongo Success Academy and its Director, Eliud Kondeyo, have made good their threat and instituted legal proceedings against NTV Kenya over a documentary that was aired during prime-time news on April 7 this year. In the court papers seen by TUKO.co.ke, Omari said that NTV Kenya broadcast or caused to broadcast an episode in which the school was linked to the infamous Shakahola cult.  "That on April 7, the defendant broadcasted an episode via National Television Media Station (NTV) during which the 1st Applicant was mentioned. The specific excerpt relating to the 1st Applicant included allegations about Rongo Success Academy, suggesting that the school had lost several pupils to “weird Christian teachings” linked to the Seventh Day Adventist Church. It was claimed that teachers admitted to losing students to this sect, but none went on record due to fear of consequences. The broadcast implied that five students had disappeared and reappeared multiple times," he stated in court documents. Why did Migori school officials not get right of reply The documentary allegedly claimed that some school teachers admitted to the allegations and that five students had disappeared and reappeared multiple times. However, Kondeyo, in his affidavit, insisted that he was not interviewed or given a right of reply to the coverage. He stated that no evidence indicated the presence of the NTV journalist within the school premises to conduct interviews or engage with any members of the school community, including management, staff, and students. "The absence of documented efforts to seek input from relevant stakeholders indicates a significant deficiency and lack of factual basis for the allegations," he submitted Is Rongo Success Academy church-sponsored The school maintained that it was independent and not run by the SDA church, as alleged in the documentary. They further insisted that the school does not control the religious beliefs of its students outside of the school timetable. "Rongo Success Academy operates independently and is not maintained, sponsored, or affiliated with the SDA church. The institution’s operational framework and daily functioning are not structured or guided by any religious doctrines, beliefs, or rules," the institution stated. The management added that the head teacher and his deputy are not members of SDA but devout Catholics. What does Rongo Success Academy want In the application filed under a certificate of urgency, the school said that the assertions made in the broadcast were false, misleading, and lacking in substantiated basis. "These statements represent a deliberate misrepresentation of facts, characterized by gross misinterpretation and distortion of the 1 Applicant’s involvement. The attempt to link the 1 Applicant to the infamous “Shakahola” episode further aggravates the erroneous portrayal”,the application read in part. Consequently, the school wants an order issued restraining the TV station from writing, producing, broadcasting, publishing, and/or republishing defamatory information in any medium and in any manner whatsoever about them, pending the hearing and determination of the suit.  Milimani Commercial Court Magistrate Eunice Mutie directed that the respondent be served with the application within three days ahead of the inter parte hearing on June 21. 

by  Didacus Malowa Zipporah Weru