Jessicar Clarise Wanjiru v Davinci Aesthetics & Reconstruction Centre & 2 others [2017] eKLR
12. The Respondents application also to enjoin the said Tony Bogonko T/A Loopah Experience as an
interested party was allowed by consent on 6th February 2017. However, there is nothing to show that
the intended interested party was served.
13. The crux of the submissions by counsel for the petitioner is that no consent was sought and
obtained from the petitioner the and that there was "injury to her person and exploitation, and, that she
suffered emotionally.
14. The Respondents counsel submitted that the petitioner has not established violation of her rights,[1]
that the provisions of the constitution alleged to have been violated have not been set out and that the
violations have not been particularized and reiterated that the petitioner did not prove that she suffered
any damage.[2]
15. The following passages from two decisions by the European Court of Human Right are worth
quoting:“[A] person’s image constitutes one of the chief attributes of his or her personality, as it reveals the
person’s unique characteristics and distinguishes the person from his or her peers. The right to the
protection of one’s image is thus one of the essential components of personal development. It mainly
presupposes the individual’s right to control the use of that image, including the right to refuse
publication thereof ...”[3]
“[F]reedom of expression includes the publication of photos ... This is nonetheless an area in which the
protection of the rights and reputation of others takes on particular importance, as the photos may
contain very personal or even intimate information about an individual or his or her family ...”[4]
16. The right to privacy is guaranteed under Article 31 of the Constitution of Kenya. Privacy has been
defined as “The right of the individual to be protected against intrusion into his personal life or affairs, or
those of his family, by direct physical means or by publication of information.”[5]In the above sense any
intrusion of personal life by whatever means or form such as photography, written articles or caricatures
may be ground for an action for breach of privacy.
17. In simple terms, image rights refer to a person’s right to commercialize aspects of his personality
such as physical appearance, pictures or caricatures, signature, personal logos and slogans, and also
the right to prevent other people from commercially making use of them. In a claim of this nature, the
plaintiff raises wrongful infringement of three inter-related, but distinct, personality interests, namely
identity, privacy and dignity.
18. Identity is defined as a person’s uniqueness which individualizes such person, and is manifested in
various facets of personality (or indicia) which include, among other things, one’s physical appearance
or image and is considered a separate right of personality.[6]
19. Features of a person’s identity have been held to be deserving of legal protection.[7] Identity is
infringed by the falsification of a person’s true image or identity. A recognized form of falsification occurs
where a person’s image is used or appropriated without his or her permission for advertising purposes,
creating the false impression that such person has consented to such conduct or supports the advertised
product, service or business.[8]
20. But an infringement of identity may also, although not necessarily, be accompanied by an
infringement of privacy. The concepts of privacy and identity are closely related. A breach of privacy
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