“Go Ahead And Sue” Edgar Obare Stands By His Accusations Against Christine Lewis And Yvonne Mugure

A legal battle looms as blogger Edgar Obare take a stand and dares Christine Nyambura Muturi alias Christine Lewis and Yvonne Mugure to go ahead with their threats of suing him over a series of tweets that they say are defamatory.

On January 27, Obare accused the two of being fraudsters, “Meet Yvonne Mugure’s “Billionaire” mentor Christine Lewis, who is a convicted investor fraudster, who relocated to Kenya. She has been sanitizing her image ever since and opening businesses in Kenya #christinelewis #yvonnemugure #WestwickCollege” Obare wrote on his X account.

Obare also in his posts, accused Westwick College in Gigiri that is owned and run by Ms Christine of taking advantage of learners’ desperation for overseas jobs to fleece them.

In his posts that are still live, Obare made claims that the college wasn’t being transparent and that a number of students had lodged complaints with him to a certain alleged dishonesty the claims ranged from the college not meeting the end of the bargain of securing them nursing opportunities abroad, irregular fee increases, that the college is not yet fully accredited by the authorities but still taking students.

In rebuttal, the College management rubbished off the claims falsehood, “The institution has an open-door policy and a transparent dispute resolution plans for both students and staff and its channels for hearing and resolving any grievances within their jurisdiction are open and fully functional,” the college leadership said in a statement.

Westwick maintains that they’re a legitimate institution and that it has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with outside parties to allow facilitation, at request by its students to benefit from its network of employers locally and abroad. “As much as we wish we could, we unfortunately aren’t able to control or determine the outcomes of travel and immigration processes. We therefore regret any travel delays if any,” the statement read in part.

The institution reiterated that it is legally registered in Kenya and in the UK. The process of accreditation requires an institution to be fully operational prior to any approvals or inspection.

However, locally, the college is yet to be fully accredited by getting the Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions (TVETs) certification which they say is in the process.

Delete or face suit

In a demand letter by her lawyer, Ms Christine refuted claims that she had been found guilty of a fraud offense in the U.S. and that she relocated back to Kenya to cleanse her image. Her lawyer said the statements were false and that she’s never been found guilty of either of the offenses.

Obare was given an ultimatum of 24 hours to pull down the posts or face a lawsuit and of which he defied.

In reply to the demands, Obade’s lawyers maintained the innocence of their client and their intention to defend himself, “Your letter alleges that our Client, through his X social media account @edgarobare, made false statements on January 26, 2024, accusing Ms. Christina Lewis of being a convicted investor fraudster who relocated to Kenya. However, it is our position that the information shared is based on factual events, specifically the default order Publicly issued by the Arizona Corporate Commission against Ms. Lewis, mandating restitution and imposing administrative penalties for investor fraud whose particulars are well within your knowledge. Please note that truth is an absolute defense in defamation.”

Obare’s lawyers also insist that he didn’t damage Ms Christine’s reputation, “While we understand the concerns raised about the potential harm to Ms. Lewis’s reputation, it is imperative to note that our client’s statements are grounded in documented and verifiable events. The accusations do not pertain to baseless claims but rather to actions undertaken by the Arizona Corporate Commission against Ms. Lewis and the complaints made as a result of Financial Fraud. A person claiming reputational damage must prove the damage itself; Your client already has too many complaints have been raised against her and on top of that there is a published finding entered against her by the authority in the USA..” The letter reads in part.

On the accusation that Obare didn’t accord Ms Christine and the college a right of reply in the light of the allegations, the lawyers said, “Your letter highlights that our client did not afford Ms. Lewis the right of reply or engage in due diligence before making the statements. However, it is essential to emphasize that the information shared is a matter of public record, and our client acted responsibly by bringing these facts/ findings to the attention of the public. Your client has never appealed against the decision of the regulatory commission and so the finding still stands. A judgment/finding is not one to be necessarily ventilated via right of reply as your client had a chance to file a response in the commission proceedings.”

The demand for an apology was also refused by Obare, “We respectfully decline the demands outlined in your letter, as we firmly believe that our client’s statements are based on truth and constitute fair comment. Our commitment to responsible journalism requires us to report accurately on matters of public interest.”

“In light of the above, our Client stands firm in their position and is not threatened by your Demand letter. We assert the right to freedom of expression and the responsible exercise of fair comment. If legal action is pursued, our client is prepared to defend their position based on the truthful nature of the statements made.” Letter reads.

Meanwhile, a gag court order has been issued and the case will be heard again on February 19, 2024, but until then the city blogger has been ordered to desist from making further allegations about Mugure, Christine, and their Westwick College.