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A school in Migori county is now demanding an apology from a Kenyan media house over a documentary allegedly mentioning it adversely.
Rongo Success Academy was on the spot in documentaries and articles broadcast and published in Nation Media Group's (NMG) products, including NTV and the Daily Nation.
NTV's documentary dubbed Holy Betrayal insinuated that the institution had lost several pupils due to cultic teachings by an offshoot of the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) church.
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In a demand letter through the law firm of Danstan Omari and Associate Advocates, the school's management wants NMG to pull down the episode from its social media pages and publish an apology within seven days.
The school further claimed that the documentary was misleading and meant to link the institution with the infamous Shakahola debacle that saw over 400 people die from forced fasting.
"Furthermore, the attempt to link our client to the infamous "Shakahola" episode further aggravates the erroneous portrayal. These statements represent a deliberate misrepresentation of facts and distortion of our client's involvement," reads the letter.
Eliud Kondeyo, the school's director, also claimed that he was not interviewed or given a right of reply in the coverage.
The school reiterated that it was independent and not run by the SDA church.
"Rongo Success Academy operates independently and is not maintained, sponsored, or affiliated with the SDA church. The institution's operational framework and daily functioning are not structured or guided by any religious doctrines, beliefs, or rules," the institution stated.
The management maintained that the head teacher and his deputy are not members of SDA but devout Catholics.
"The management has employed a head teacher and a deputy head teacher, who are actively involved in the administration and operation of the school. If relevant to the circumstances at hand, it is imperative to note that the religious affiliations of these individuals are not Seventh-day Adventists. They are Catholics," the school management clarified.
The Migori-based institution further insisted that it does not have control over the religious beliefs of its students outside of the school timetable.
The school management demands that NTV retract the documentary series from all its broadcast channels.
They also want the media house to cease publishing further episodes perceived as defamatory about the institution.
"Take notice that failure to comply with the above demands within seven days of the date hereof, we have firm and irrevocable instructions to institute a suit against you," reads the demand letter.
Omari successfully sued the Daily Nation for defaming him after ranking him among the worst communicators. He was awarded damages of KSh 9 million.
Proofreading by Jackson Otukho, a multimedia journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke
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