Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Sports, Art and Youth Affairs Ababu Namwamba has declared that he will be donating KSh9 million to charity.

Taking to his X (formerly Twitter) page on Sunday, December 24, CS Namwamba divulged that the KSh9 million was awarded to him by Standard Media Group in a civil case.

“The High Court of Kenya has awarded me KSh9 million as damages against the Standard Media Group, in civil suit No. 263 of 2018 following defamatory stories published by the Nairobian newspaper in 2018,” he began.

Public Shame

The former Budalangi Member of Parliament (MP) stated that no amount of money would fully compensate his family for the shame accrued after the said publication.

“I draw some morsel of comfort from admission by Standard Media Group /The Nairobian that they published lies and fabrications based on fake “sources”.

“The Judge observes: They further submitted that at the time of publication they believed the stories were true and only discovered (later) that the interviewees were imposters and the information was “false”,” added the statement.

Namwamba cautioned journalists to remain factual in their reporting and not rely on malice simply to tarnish other people’s names.

CS Namwamba gives back to society

He announced that he would donate the entire KSh9 million to charity as he marks his 48th birthday.

“As Ababu Namwamba Foundation marks its 20th anniversary, its board of trustees will receive the money to establish a revolving endowment fund to support fees for vulnerable students and to empower transformative youth initiatives,” read part of his statement.

Tweeps reacted to CS Namwamba’s announcement, lauding him for the selfless act.

“The verdict underscores the significance of respecting one’s character and the consequences of spreading defamatory content,” Muthoni Kate wrote.

“On his special day, he chooses to give the gift of education and empowerment, aiming for a brighter future for vulnerable students,” Dual Chromosomes added.