Trade Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria on Monday, took his war against the Nation Media Group (NMG) to a new level, saying that he was going to name journalists forced to write stories against President William Ruto’s administration.
The CS through social media said that he will name them on Tuesday.
Kuria said that there were still members of the fourth estate committed to telling the truth, while others were being forced by the editors in a scheme he claimed was bankrolled by a former Head of State he did not name.
“Tomorrow I publish a list of Nation Media Group writers who have confessed to being coerced to write anti-government stories by their editors and management in a scheme sponsored by a former President. We still have honest people in the Media,” the CS tweeted.
On their part, the Media Owners Association of Kenya condemned Kuria for comments he made following an expose by the Nation Media Group implicating him in a cooking oil scandal.
Speaking at the Akorino Annual Convention in Embu on Sunday, Kuria threatened to sack any government official who advertises with the group and then went on to insult journalists from the media house in unprintable words.
He said: “Nation Media, you must now decide whether you are a newspaper, a broadcaster, a media house or a political party. I have said from tomorrow, even from today, any government department that is found advertising in the Nation Media Group, consider yourself out (of government)”.
In a statement, Media Owners Association’s chairperson, Agnes Kalekye, said the threat to withdraw government advertising from the media house was tantamount to blackmail and aimed at undermining the media house’s coverage of government affairs.
“It is unfortunate that Mr Kuria has chosen to directly and publicly attack the Nation Media Group for fulfilling its role of holding government to account…. That Kuria has chosen to threaten the media with the withdrawal of state advertising… is clear and unequivocal blackmail, contrary to the legal provisions on state advertising and the Constitution, and is intended to force the Nation to change its coverage of important governance issues,” Kalekye said.
She added: “It is incumbent on Mr Kuria to understand that advertising by government and other state agencies is a legal obligation and not a favour granted at the behest of himself and other public officials. Kuria’s use of inflammatory language is not expected of a public official. This disrespectful and clearly inflammatory language disqualifies him from holding public office.”
The Nation Media Group has also condemned CS Kuria, saying that his remarks not only “declared a commercial war on the media house,” but also insulted Nation staff and the Group’s principal shareholder, His Highness the Aga Khan.
The Media house noted previous attacks by the CS, including discouraging the public from buying newspapers at the height of Covid-19, with the claim that it would prevent infections. The CS is also on record for berating a Nation journalist on live television when he served as Gatundu South Member of Parliament.
The CS was also called out by the Media Council of Kenya (MCK), which described his comments as a threat to press freedom and a poor reflection on Kenya’s global image.
