Ruto Goes After People Daily Newspaper Over Explosive Headline About Nithi Bridge
President William Ruto’s administration, via the Ministry of Information, Communications, and the Digital Economy, reported the People Daily Newspaper to the Media Council of Kenya (MCK) on Friday.
This comes after the media house published a front-page story on Wednesday, September 4 under the headline “How Ruto lies killed Nithi 12”.
This came after 12 people died in a horrific road accident at Nithi Bridge on the Meru-Embu highway on September 1.
During previous rallies, President William Ruto promised that the government would repair the bridge, which had been identified as a blackspot on several occasions.
The government has reported People Daily newspaper to Media Council of Kenya for publishing stories critical of President William Ruto or other government officers.
— K24 TV (@K24Tv) September 13, 2024
This is after People Daily published a story that criticised Ruto’s promise to repair the infamous killer Nithi… pic.twitter.com/FQQYDmhIU2
However, this had yet to be realized. The media outlet used that as the basis for their headline.
People Daily and its parent company Mediamax, on the other hand, claimed that the decision to report it to MCK was motivated by the publication’s bold coverage of the Kenya Kwanza administration.
According to People Daily, the government’s move is an attempt to intimidate journalists at the publication who are fact-checking the President, as well as a threat to media freedom.
“The government has reported People Daily newspaper to the Media Council of Kenya for publishing stories critical of President William Ruto or other government officers,” K24 posted on Twitter.
In a report, Broadcasting and Telecommunications PS Edward Kisiangani asked the Media Council of Kenya (MCK) to prevent the publication and its writers from publishing similarly derogatory articles about the presidency or other government offices.
“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 misbehaviors.” Kisiangani’s complaint to MCK read.
On September 1, twelve people died at the Nithi Bridge black spot.
A group of Kenyans went on to find a video of President William Ruto promising to repair the bridge once he was elected.
The video, which has been widely shared on social media, shows Ruto speaking urgently, vowing that the deadly bridge, which has been the site of numerous accidents, would be repaired as soon as possible.
“The section of the busy road is a big threat to travelers and the only solution is to redesign it,” Ruto said during the campaign period.
The promise has yet to be fulfilled two years later.
Ruto Goes After People Daily Newspaper Over Explosive Headline About Nithi Bridge
