Kuria under fire over media slur, adverts threat
By Oliver Musembi, June 20, 2023Ministry of Investments, Trade and Industry Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria was in the eye of a storm yesterday after threatening to crack down on a leading media house.
In an outburst that drew widespread condemnation from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and various media stakeholders, the Trade, Investment and Industrialisation minister vowed to ensure that no government agency would in future be allowed to advertise with the Nation Media Group.
EACC, in a statement clearly directed at Kuria, warned public officers against intimidating public institutions or private organisations.
The commission’s Secretary and Chief Executive Twalib Mbarak, in an advisory to public institutions and officials on procurement of goods and services, said no public institution or official should be victimised for engaging in any lawful dealings with any organisation, a move that appears to counter Kuria’s bid to bar government agencies from advertising with certain media houses.
Reckless
Media practitioners and other players including the Media Council of Kenya, Media Owners Association, Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ), Kenya Editors Guild (KEG) and Political Journalists Association of Kenya (PJAK) separately issued statements condemning the remarks as reckless, unwarranted and calling on Kuria to be brought to account for his “foul language.”
On Sunday, while speaking at the Akorino Annual Convention in Embu Kuria said: “Nation Media, you must now decide whether you are a newspaper, broadcasting house, media house or a political party. I have said, from tomorrow, from today even, any government department found placing advertising in Nation Media Group, consider yourself out (of government).”
He later posted a tweet on his official Twitter handle in which he used derogatory language.
The CS’s remarks drew the ire of players in the industry, with some asking President William Ruto to tame his Cabinet members, saying he had lowered the status of his office.
Legal route
Stakeholders stated it was apparent that Kuria, who continued to unleash more tweets deriding journalists after attending an event with Ruto, was drunk with the power that comes with his docket.
“Editors, journalists and all media practitioners expect assurance from the Kenya Kwanza administration that the sentiments expressed by CS Kuria do not represent the policy of the government and the media enterprises will be accorded their space to execute their mandate,” said KEG in a statement by the President Zubeidah Kananu.
“A Tweet by the CS which describes Nation Media Group in foul language is uncharacteristic of a State officer of his rank,” the statement went on.
“The media plays a very important role in a democracy, including holding power to account. In doing so, the media does not operate above the law. If a State Officer or any Kenyan for that matter, is aggrieved by the work of the media, they have an array of avenues to raise them, including pursuing the legal route or reaching out to the media entity concerned,” she added.
“To go out in public spaces to lambast and reduce the important work the media does to whorish business is the highest form of insult to media professionals in the country,” KEG stated.
“Indeed, Hon. Kuria’s remarks have taken us back nearly 30 years ago when the late Mulu Mutisya, a one-party dictatorship zealot, described journalists in similar terms. Hon. Kuria must have slept through the revolution.”
Separately, Media Owners, in a statement signed by the chairperson Agnes Kalekye, asked the MCK to investigate Kuria over the unfortunate attack on journalists.
“We wish to bring to the attention of the appointing authority President Ruto that the continued level of misconduct by some of his officers is unconstitutional and unethical and not expected of any public officer, let alone the President’s direct appointees,” Kalekye stated.
Negative narrative
Kuria, however, got support from Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua who accused the media of waging a hate campaign against the Kenya Kwanza government.
Speaking in Mombasa, Gachagua said the media was out to create a wedge between him and President William Ruto.
“I agree with Moses Kuria on all that he said but I don’t agree with him about denying the media advertisements. That one I disagree with him. The government will continue to give business to media houses,” said Gachagua.
He accused some media houses of peddling a negative narrative about the Kenya Kwanza leadership to tear it apart, adding that he and the President were united by commitments.
“There are no cracks in this government. The President and I were brought together by commitments, so don’t try to create problems where there are not,” said.
“They are trying to create an impression that I and President have differed. I want to tell the media, they will wait for too long to see that. The President and all other government officials are moving in the same direction,” said Gachagua.
The KUJ too issued a hard hitting statement asking Kuria to refrain from intimidating the media.
“Sober up, you are becoming a national shame,” said the Union through its Secretary General Eric Oduor.
“While we support the ongoing initiatives by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua to deal with the impact of rampant consumption of alcohol in the country, it is our opinion that for this war to bear fruit, he should cast the net wider to rid the county of leaders who are not in control of their faculties,” wrote Oduor.
MCK said in its statement said it took great exception to the ongoing attacks and profiling of the media and journalists, which it termed as a big threat to independent and free media in the country.
A statement by Nation Media Group said it was not the first time that Kuria had poured vitriol on the media house and the media fraternity at large and attributed his latest outbursts to an expose detailing taxpayers money losses through a dubious duty-free import scheme that falls under his docket.
“The verbal attack using foul and crude language against NMG is shocking, primitive and inexcusable in the eyes of level headed Kenyans who expect Cabinet Secretaries to conduct themselves with decorum befitting their high office,” read the statement from the Group.
Interestingly, in yet another post on his official Twitter account on June 19, Kuria made a jibe at the media by tweeting: “Brown Envelope Journalism is a national disaster. Tuambiane ukweli.”
In one of the replies to the tweet, @kevinFult commented; “It only becomes brown envelope journalism when you are the one on the receiving end of the expose. Mbona unajam juu wamesema umeiba doh za gava.(Why are you annoyed after they say you are involved in corrupt deals)? You can as well sue them for defamation rather than going ballistic online.”