The Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ) and the Kenya Editors’ Guild have condemned Trade Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria’s recent attacks on local media.
Kuria attacked the Nation Media Group (NMG) on Sunday, accusing them of being “an opposition party” before issuing a roadside declaration directing government agencies to stop advertising with the media house or face dismissal.
The attack followed an expose by NTV, a station under the group, where it alleged that Cabinet Secretaries engineered the drop in the price of edible oils, a move that made the taxpayer lose about Sh5.6 billion.
Moments after his speech, he went on Twitter and called the media house’s journalists “prostitutes,” infuriating many Kenyans who saw it as too low and juvenile.
In a statement released on Monday, KUJ Secretary General Erick Oduor said Kuria was “becoming a symbol of national shame” and condemned his reactions to media reports as an embarrassment to Kenyans.
“We would wish to remind Mr Kuria that he is now a Cabinet Secretary whose actions and utterances should promote a positive image of Kenya as a nation. In line with tenets of leadership and integrity law. His reactions to media reports regarding one of the many scandals that have hit Kenya Kwanza administration within a span of 10 months are not only an embarrassment to Kenyans, but a confirmation that his stomach is full and can belch and eventually vomit on the shoes of hungry Kenyans with impunity,” the journalists’ union said.
“While we support the ongoing initiatives by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua to deal with the impact of rampant consumption of alcohol in the country, it is our opinion that for this war to bear fruit, he should cast the net wider to rid the county of leaders who are not in control of their faculties. I can assure Mr Kuria that the media will outlive his political career and will be waiting with glee to write his political obituary,” added the statement.
Similarly, in a statement signed by Guild President Zubeida Kananu, the Kenya Editors’ Guild (KEG) condemned Kuria’s remarks as “unwarranted, uncalled for, and totally off the mark.”
“The media plays a very important role in a democracy, including holding power to account. In doing so, the media does not operate above the law. If a State Officer or any Kenyan for that matter, is aggrieved by the work of the media, they have an array of avenues to raise them, including pursuing the legal route or reaching out to the media entity concerned,” said the guild in a statement on Monday.
“To go out in public spaces to lambast and reduce the important work the media does to whorish business is the highest form of insult to media professionals in the country,” it added.
Kananu also called on the CS to issue an apology following his unfortunate remarks.
“Kenya Editors’ Guild expects an unconditional apology from CS Kuria following these unfortunate remarks. Editors, journalists and all media practitioners expect assurance from the Kenya Kwanza administration that the sentiments expressed by CS Kuria do not represent the policy of the government, and the media enterprises will be accorded their space to execute their mandate,” Kananu added.
