Standard Group hits back at President Ruto's attacks, citing Ksh1.2 Billion Debt

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Standard Group hits back at President Ruto’s attacks, citing Ksh1.2 Billion Debt

NAIROBI, KENYA – In a rare and strongly worded direct response, The Standard Group PLC, a leading Kenyan media house, has hit back at President William Ruto following his recent criticism of their journalism, branding it as “condescending” and an “attack on the very foundation of our journalism.”

In a press statement, referenced as “1001690974.jpg”, signed by Group Chief Executive Officer Chaacha Mwita (as seen in “1001690978.jpg”), the media house declared,

“The Standard is not a propaganda outlet.” This direct rebuttal follows a post from the President on X (formerly Twitter), where he singled out the media house and characterized their reporting on his administration.

While acknowledging that they would “ordinarily…not want to respond to statements attributed to the Presidency as we hold it in high regard,” the media house stated it was “impossible to ignore” the President’s post on X, which “singled out The Standard.”

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Taking “great exception” to the President’s characterization, the media house called his language “condescending” and said it “falls short of the tone expected from the highest office in the land.” They raised concerns that public disparagement, rather than established channels, raises “legitimate questions about motives” and the “solidity of the environment in which the media is expected to operate.”

Strikingly, the statement links the President’s public criticism with broader concerns about media freedom and financial pressures. The Standard Group pointed to a previously stated commitment from the President during one of the Safari Rally events in Naivasha, where he publicly affirmed the “centrality of media freedom,” noting that a democracy “must defend the media’s right to criticise.” The media house declared, “today, we hold the President to that pledge.”

The statement, referenced as “1001690974.jpg”, also raises a significant issue of a reported Ksh1.2 billion debt owed by the government to the media house, which they are citing as “blackmail.”

The Standard stated, “We pose: What greater form of blackmail is there than a government withholding Ksh1.2 billion that it owes us, with the apparent desire of frustrating our operations?” They continued, “Blackmail? We are victims of blackmail; not perpetrators.”

The media house is now issuing a strong warning to the government, stating they will hold them “fully accountable should any harm befall the media house, its journalists, management, directors or its shareholders as a result of the President’s remarks.”

Despite the escalating tension, The Standard Group re-affirmed its commitment to independent journalism. “The Standard stands for bold, responsible and accountable journalism,” the statement, referenced as “1001690974.jpg”, stated. “We tell the facts as they are, even when they are uncomfortable for those in positions of authority.”

They concluded by stating they will “continue to execute with professional zeal, independence and respect for institutions that safeguard democracy” their “constitutional duty: To inform, to scrutinise and to uphold the public’s right to know.”