Without referring to any specific instances where the media has allegedly crossed the line, President Ruto warned that press freedoms risk being eroded in the event the protests end up in the country going the wrong direction.
In another apparent onslaught against the media in Kenya, President William Ruto on Sunday, July 21 warned media houses regarding their reporting of the recent anti-government protests across the country.
While speaking during a church service at the Chebango AGC church at Kapletundo ward, Sotik Constituency, Bomet County, the Head of State warned journalists against encouraging and celebrating anarchy in their reporting, calling for members of the Fourth Estate to be responsible in their coverage.
Without referring to any specific instances where the media has allegedly crossed the line, President Ruto warned that press freedoms risk being eroded in the event the protests end up in the country going the wrong direction.
Without naming any media house, Ruto insisted that the media has to exercise good judgment whenever reporting on events in the country.
I want to request the media to report responsibly- President Ruto#ViralVideos pic.twitter.com/VRFgmJQAga
— Viral Tea Ke (@ViralTeaKe) July 21, 2024
“I want to request the media to report responsibly. Reporting, celebrating, and encouraging violence, destruction of property, anarchy, and mayhem is irresponsible,” he stated.
“If the country goes the wrong direction, there will be nothing to report and there will be nowhere to report from. So we must all act responsibly.”
The President cautioned the media against going beyond the call of duty insisting that protecting the country should be a collective responsibility of all Kenyans. He added that the media would also suffer if the country went down beyond repair.
His comments are likely to spark fresh opposition between members of the media and the government, given that the former has been a victim of brutality by state agencies during coverage of the protests.
Ruto’s sentiments follow those issued by the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) which threatened to take decisive action on media platforms found to have broadcast content against the laws of the Constitution, targeting their coverage of the anti-government protests.
However, bodies such as the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) and the Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ) have opposed CA’s threat to action. LSK, in a statement on July 18, while it expressed appreciation of the concerns raised by CA, reminded the Authority that their role as regulators does not extend to determining what news is disseminated but rather how it is disseminated in a way that does not contravene the express provisions of Article 33 of the Constitution.
On its part, KUJ urged all media houses in Kenya to ignore CA’s directive, stating that only the Media Council of Kenya (MCK) should issue such a directive.
Ruto’s Request To Faceless Gang Funding Goons To Infiltrate Protests
Meanwhile, the Head of State called upon the alleged financiers of the protests to come forth with alternatives to take Kenya forward, calling them out for causing mayhem in the country by allegedly funding goons to infiltrate the peaceful protests.
“We must guard the peace and the stability of our nation and the democracy of our nation so that it is not undermined or sabotaged by faceless, anonymous, formless sponsored people who want to use violence and anarchy and mayhem to control our nation.
President William Ruto arrives at Africa Gospel Church in Chebango, Bomet County for a church service on July 21, 2024. /PCS
“I want to challenge those who are sponsoring, orchestrating, and funding this violence to step forward and give us their unique views on how to take Kenya forward. They must not remain anonymous, formless or faceless, they must step forward,” Ruto stated.
He also asked the financiers to identify themselves and offer the government ways to steer Kenya forward.
“I challenge them, the shadowy people to step forward and tell us if they have any alternative ideas to take Kenya forward. We are a democracy and we are very proud of our democracy and we can not surrender our democracy,” he reiterated.