President Ruto Goes After the Media

President William Ruto has urged the media to report responsibly.

Speaking during a church service in Bomet County on Sunday, July 21, the Head of State noted that reporting on violence and anarchy was irresponsible.

He went on to say that if the country went in the wrong direction, there would be nothing for the media to report.

"I request the media to report responsibly.  Reporting, celebrating, and encouraging violence, destruction of property, and anarchy is irresponsible. And if the country goes in 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 remarked.

President Ruto further called out individuals who he claimed were funding the violence to step forward and offer their alternative to moving the country ahead.

"I want to challenge those who are sponsoring, orchestrating, and funding this violence to step forward and give us their alternative views on how to take Kenya forward. They must not remain anonymous, formless or faceless. They must step forward, " Ruto stated.

His remarks come after the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) cautioned the media over the dissemination of content that is against the constitution while covering anti-government protests. 

In a letter on Wednesday, July 17, CA Director General David Mugonyi warned that the dissemination of such content was unlawful, and any media house found culpable would face action.

“Recent protests and ensuing violence, loss of lives, and destruction of property have highlighted instances where licensed media entities have compromised objectivity and balance in the reporting of crime, security operations, and/or crisis situations. The Authority further noted with concern that some media entities aired images of dead and/or seriously wounded people without censoring or blurring out the images.

"All media houses are hereby cautioned that dissemination of content that runs afoul of the Constitution; the Kenya Information and Communications Act, 1998; the Programming Code for Broadcasting Services as well as the Preservation of the Public Security Act, 2012 is unlawful and will result in enforcement action," read part of the letter by Mugonyi.