Speaker Wetang’ula Demands Apology From Standard Group Over Nepotism Claims

National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula has issued a strict 48-hour ultimatum to the Standard Group, demanding a full retraction and an unconditional front-page apology over a story he terms false and malicious.

Through a demand letter issued by his legal team, Milimo Muthomi and Company Advocates, the Speaker gave the media house until Thursday to rectify the publication.

“Our instructions are to demand, which we hereby dutifully do, that you tender an unconditional written apology to our Client at the top page of the next issue of Standard Newspaper, and in any event not later than forty-eight (48) hours from the date hereof,” the demand letter states.

The legal threat stems from a July 6 front-page feature titled “Broad Based Family”, which displayed Wetang’ula’s photograph alongside several senior public officials. The article strongly implied that these high-ranking individuals landed their state jobs primarily due to their family connections with the Speaker—a claim Wetang’ula’s legal team fiercely rejects.

According to his lawyers, only one person featured in the article is actually related to the Speaker: his younger brother, Westlands Member of Parliament Tim Wanyonyi.

Even so, the advocates firmly clarified that MP Wanyonyi did not benefit from nepotism. They pointed out that Wanyonyi secured his legislative seat strictly through the ballot, serves under an entirely different political party from his brother, and represents a constituency where the Speaker is not even a registered voter.