By Samuel Ouma
The State House has strongly condemned The Standard newspaper for publishing what it describes as “false, malicious, and reckless” claims regarding President William Ruto’s upcoming tour of the Mt Kenya region, set to begin on April 1.
In a scathing press release issued on Monday, the Presidential Communication Service (PCS) Head Munyori Buku dismissed The Standard’s front-page article alleging that a proscribed group was involved in organizing the President’s visit. The PCS termed the report as “dangerously irresponsible, reckless, and inciteful.”
“The outrageous, outlandish claim that a proscribed group is involved in planning the President’s tour of the Mt Kenya region this week is not only manifestly false, but it is also dangerously irresponsible, reckless, and inciteful,” said Munyori Buku.
The PCS further asserted that the planning of the President’s tour has been handled through official government channels, including consultations with regional governors, Members of Parliament, Senators, and security agencies. According to the statement, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has also played a key role in coordinating with elected leaders from the region.
“If the newspaper had exercised even the bare minimum of journalistic integrity, it would have discovered the cold, hard facts: That the President has held consultative meetings with regional governors and National Government officials to plan the visit; that Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has similarly engaged Members of Parliament and Senators from the region in preparation; and that the local leadership, security agencies, and communities are more than capable of coordinating a presidential tour without resorting to the involvement of nefarious groups,” the statement read.
The PCS accused The Standard of relying on unnamed sources, “imaginary claims,” and “shadowy insinuations” to mislead the public. It further criticized the newspaper for failing to seek an official comment from the Presidency before publishing the report.
“The use of phantom informants, conveniently vague and unverifiable, exposes a newsroom more committed to concocting fiction than reporting facts to perpetuate contrived public anger against the duly elected government,” the PCS said. “In an act of pure contempt for the principles of credible journalism, the paper didn’t even bother to seek a comment from the Presidency—a fundamental tenet of responsible reporting.”
The strongly worded rebuttal accused The Standard of abandoning journalistic ethics in favour of sensationalism and propaganda.
“What The Standard has been engaged in is not journalism; it is gossip and innuendo masquerading as news, rumour staged as fact, and desperation disguised as reporting,” the PCS stated.
“If the newspaper has chosen to weaponize misinformation to prop up its waning relevance, it should prepare to be held to account not only by the institutions it maligns but also by the public and even the fast-disappearing readership whose trust it so carelessly continues to betray.”
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