Kirinyaga County Woman Representative Jane Njeri Maina and Senator James Kamau Murango have threatened legal action against NTV and Citizen TV over reports linking them to the alleged misuse of the National Government Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF).
The two leaders have separately issued demand letters accusing the media houses of publishing and broadcasting false and defamatory claims, including allegations surrounding the distribution of women's underwear in Kirinyaga.
The letters, dated September 24, 2026 and obtained by Vantage Ke, were prepared by Sakimpa & Partners Advocates and addressed to the Group Chief Executive Officers of Nation Media Group (NMG) and Royal Media Services (RMS).
Marked "Extremely Urgent," the letters give the two stations 24 hours from receipt to retract the reports, issue public apologies and publish corrections.
Failure to comply, the lawyers warned, will see the politicians escalate the matter to the Media Complaints Commission and pursue civil claims for damages.
Murango report sparks dispute
At the centre of the dispute is an NTV report aired under the headline "Chupi za Murango Zaibua Hoja Kirinyaga." The report carried captions alleging that Senator Murango had been accused of working on behalf of Njeri Maina and had bought underwear for women in Kirinyaga. NTV also shared the report on its X and Facebook accounts.
Although the headline mentioned Murango, Maina's lawyers argued that the broadcast also referred to the Woman Representative and connected the distribution of the underwear to NGAAF, a fund associated with her office.
The lawyers said the report therefore created the impression that Maina had participated in or colluded with Murango to misuse NGAAF funds.
Maina has strongly denied the allegation. Her lawyers stated in the demand letter that she "categorically denies that she colluded with Senator Murango or any other person to misuse NGAAF funds."
Senator denies buying underwear
Murango has also rejected the allegations contained in the NTV report. In a separate demand letter, his lawyers maintained that neither Murango nor Maina printed, procured, bought or distributed the underwear mentioned in the report.
They also argued that NGAAF falls outside the senator's mandate and that he has no role in administering the fund.
Murango, through his lawyers, said he "did not print, procure, buy or distribute the underwear attributed to him."
The senator's legal team has also taken issue with a separate Citizen TV and Citizen Digital report titled "Party Panties: Anger in Kirinyaga After Women Receive Free Underwear Promoting Senator Kamau Murango's Gubernatorial Bid." According to the demand letter, the report showed underwear bearing the words "NGAAF" and "Gov Kamau Murango 2027", alongside interviews with residents.
Murango's lawyers argued that the report portrayed him as having used the identity of a government fund to promote his political ambitions.
They said the allegation touched directly on his integrity and reputation as an elected public official.
Leaders accuse stations of failing to seek their side
A common complaint in the three demand letters is that neither NTV nor Citizen TV allegedly sought a response from Maina or Murango before airing and publishing the reports.
The lawyers argue that this amounted to a breach of Section 45 of the Media Council Act and the Code of Conduct for Media Practice, 2025.
They contend that the provisions require media organisations to verify information, present stories fairly and give people facing adverse allegations a reasonable opportunity to respond.
The lawyers have consequently demanded that the two media houses remove the disputed reports, videos, captions and social media posts from their digital platforms.
They also want the stations to air and publish corrections and public apologies with prominence comparable to the original reports.
The politicians are further demanding an opportunity to respond on air and online, written admission of liability and confirmation that the media houses are willing to discuss compensation.
The letters warn that failure to meet the demands within 24 hours will trigger proceedings before the Media Complaints Commission and possible civil suits seeking damages, interest and legal costs.
NTV, Citizen TV and the journalists named in the letters had not publicly responded to the demands by the time of publication.
