Dear President William Ruto,

At a time when Kenya is marking two years since the deaths of young Gen Z protesters, your public attack on Standard Media Group is deeply worrying.

The media is not your enemy. A free press is not a favour from State House.

It is a right protected by the Constitution. Its work is to ask questions, report facts, expose failure and hold power to account.

Mr President, you know the power of the media very well.

In 2022, when you were campaigning, the same media covered your rallies, your church visits, your tears, your prayers and your hustler message.

It carried your voice to homes, markets, villages and towns.

Some Kenyans knew you badly. Some did not know you well. Others only knew what your rivals said about you.

Through the media, you spoke to them directly. You explained yourself. You sold your dream.

You asked for trust. Without that media space, it is fair to say your road to the State House would have been much harder.

That is why your current tone against the media is unacceptable.

“Bro, the billionaire you are, hiding behind ‘debts’ while forcing workers to go for months without pay to defend your Standard headlines, is heartless to loyal workers, an insult to journalism, and a betrayal of the free media that Standard once stood for.”

Mr President, those words are not small. They are not ordinary. They are not the kind of words Kenyans expect from the highest office in the land.

If Standard Media Group has unpaid workers, that is a labour matter. It should be handled by the right bodies, including COTU, the Ministry of Labour, labour officers and the courts.

Workers deserve justice. But their pain should not be used as a weapon to fight a newsroom because of headlines you do not like.

If a story is false, correct it. If a report is unfair, respond with facts. If there is blackmail, report it to the police. If there is labour abuse, let the labour institutions act. But do not turn the presidency into a personal tool against journalists.

The truth is simple: the anger in Kenya today was not created by Standard Media Group. It was not created by Gideon Moi. It was not created by editors, reporters or headlines.

It was created by the gap between promises and reality.

You promised to fight corruption. Kenyans are still asking why corruption feels alive.

You promised to protect independent institutions. Kenyans now watch Members of Parliament going to State House to seek development, yet development should be a right, not a presidential favour.

You promised to ease the lives of ordinary Kenyans. Instead, many families are facing high taxes, high prices and a high cost of living.

You promised to reduce waste and protect public money. Kenyans are still asking questions about public debt, spending and priorities.

These are the issues the media is reporting. These are the questions Kenyans are asking. The media did not invent them.

Mr President, do not fight the mirror because you do not like the image.

The media helped carry your story when you needed to be heard. It must also be free to carry the pain of Kenyans when they feel unheard.

Journalism is not betrayal. Hard questions are not blackmail. Headlines are not the enemy.

The enemy is failed promises. The enemy is high taxation. The enemy is corruption.

The enemy is weak institutions. The enemy is public debt. The enemy is a government that appears angry when citizens ask for answers.

Mr President, stop the personal vendetta against the media. Defend press freedom, even when coverage is uncomfortable. That is what democracy demands.

Kenya does not need a president at war with journalists.

Kenya needs a president who listens, answers questions and keeps promises.

Yours sincerely

David Nthua, People Daily Digital, Political Affairs writer.