Nairobi, July 2 -- A nine-year legal battle over an alleged Sh109 million SportPesa jackpot has taken a dramatic turn, with the dispute shifting from whether the winnings should be paid to whether the claimant is who he says he is.

SportPesa is seeking permission to introduce fresh evidence challenging the identity of the man suing as John Friendrich and questioning his legal standing to pursue the jackpot claim.

The proposed evidence includes correspondence with the Registrar of Births and Deaths and the Civil Registration Services, an allegedly invalid birth certificate marked "NOT AUTHENTIC", a Gazette Notice, an Occurrence Book (OB) extract and correspondence with the Registrar of Persons concerning the claimant's identity documents...