It’s not always smart to sue
PRIME Minister Raila Odinga has said that he will not sue his former aide Miguna Miguna for defamation. Miguna's new book Peeling Back the Mask alleged that Raila condoned corruption in his office and was involved in the post-election violence in 2008.
The book was long on allegations and short on facts. Raila might well have been able to successfully sue Miguna. But he chose not to. That was smart. Kenya politicians are too prone to suing newspapers even when the allegations are relatively trivial. Often the allegation is made by a rival in a public place, or by an official body, but still the politician goes ahead to sue.
Some politicians are serial plaintiffs who persecute the media through libel actions in an attempt to enforce good coverage. What these politicians don't realise is that aggressive pursuit of libel suits actually alienates media houses. A politician may win the libel suit but in the process he loses the sympathy of that newspaper, TV or radio station.
Raila is smarter than most Kenyan politicians in this respect. He very rarely, if ever, sues. Other politicians should not be surprised if they sometimes feel he is getting better coverage than they are.
Quote of the day: "I've been rich and I've been poor. It's better to be rich." - American author Gertrude Stein died on July 27, 1946.
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