A former driver of Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata has filed a lawsuit accusing the county boss of unlawfully including his name in a petition linked to the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines crash compensation case. The crash, which killed 157 people including 32 Kenyans, has been the subject of a long-running compensation battle.
The petitioner, identified as Karanja Mburu, claims his name along with those of seven other former employees of Kang’ata was listed in a Senate petition filed in June 2019, when Kang’ata served as senator. The petition sought parliamentary support for crash victims’ families in securing compensation from Ethiopian Airlines and Boeing.
In a sworn statement, Mburu insists he had “no family or social connection” to anyone on the ill-fated flight and never authorised his name to be used. “I had no involvement in the crash, nor any association with its victims,” he said, terming the move an abuse of office by Kang’ata.
Court documents indicate Kang’ata initially told the court he knew those listed in the petition but had advised them to file it due to a conflict of interest. Mburu disputes this, arguing the individuals named were merely former staff members, not victims’ relatives.
Mburu’s legal team, led by lawyer Soyinka Lempaa, has listed Governor Kang’ata as the first respondent, with the Senate and Attorney General also named. Ethiopian Airlines and Boeing International Corporation are included as interested parties. The petition cites violations of Mburu’s constitutional rights under Articles 28, 33, 35, and 47.
In November 2024, the Clerk of the Senate admitted in writing that Mburu’s name had been included “by mistake” without verification or consent. Mburu alleges further harassment, including what he terms politically motivated retaliation that led to his arrest and arraignment at the Thika Law Courts.
He is now seeking court orders to bar Kang’ata and the Senate from linking him to the petition, to compel the release of all related documents, and to secure a formal explanation.
High Court Judge Lawrence Mugambi has directed that Kang’ata and the Senate be served within seven days and respond within 14 days.
