The Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy has moved to gag People Daily newspaper for publishing stories critical of President William Ruto and his government.
This is after the newspaper ran a report exposing the President for not living to his promises, resulting in far-reaching consequences on Kenyans.
The move is seen as an attempt to not only intimidate journalists at the publication for fact-checking the President but a threat to media freedom.
Broadcasting and Telecommunications PS Edward Kisiangani, in a deliberate move to gag the media house, has also asked the Media Council of Kenya (MCK) to institute action against People Daily for publishing a story that criticised Ruto’s promise to repair the infamous killer Nithi bridge immediately on ascending to power.
The promise is yet to be fulfilled two years later.
“We call for a complete restraint from the People Daily and its writers from publishing or causing to publish, similarly contemptuous articles about the presidency, or other government offices,” the PS wrote to the council.
The PS had earlier met the Mediamax Network Ltd chief executive Ken Ngaruiya and People Daily Managing Editor Emeka-Mayaka Gekara to discuss the issue where the two maintained the story was balanced, accurate and fair.
MCK’s Complaints Commission has written to People Daily to respond in writing within 14 days and the complaint is listed for mention on September 26.
The gag demand follows a story which the ministry has condemned, saying it was meant to discredit President Ruto and also to depict him as an “unreliable person with a penchant for telling lies”.
In the complaint to MCK, Kisiangani wrote: “This office seeks your intervention to institute any further action against the publishers of this article, in line with the existing laws and regulations that may serve as a deterrent measure against future similar journalistic misbehaviours.”
The story, published on September 4, detailed how Ruto had been making empty promises regardless of the budgetary constraints. The story listed a number of projects that have not taken off as pledged.
The President had early last year, for example, said his government had set aside funds during the 2023/24 financial year to redesign the Nithi bridge in Tharaka Nithi county. He said it would be repaired “within six months in order to prevent people from dying.”
“I have already directed the Minister in charge of Transport to meet your governor immediately to decide whether to use the survey conducted sometime back or we come up with a new one. We have already set aside funds towards the redesign of the road to stop people from dying at the spot,” he said.
Twelve people died on September 1 in a gruesome accident at the bridge.
This is not the first time the President’s relationship with the truth is being questioned.
During a televised joint media interview at State House earlier this year, Linus Kaikai of Citizen TV posed this to Ruto: “There are Kenyans who watch you and I don’t know whether you are aware that they don’t trust and believe in what you say. Are you aware that a lot of Kenyans increasingly don’t associate the truth with you?”
