Treasury Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo has denied any involvement in the procurement of classified spying software following the emergence of media reports.
In a statement dated Tuesday, November 26, Kiptoo demanded that the media house responsible for the article retract the report and issue a public apology.
Consequently, the PS threatened to take legal action, should the affected publishers fail to meet his demand.
Kiptoo maintained that the authors of the article did not verify the facts of the story before publishing the article, thus, harming his reputation.
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"I wish to respectfully demand an immediate retraction of the story and a public apology for the harm caused to my reputation and character," read the statement in part.
"Should the newspaper fail to take corrective action, I reserve the right to pursue all legal remedies available to protect my name."
Response to Allegations in the Story
Additionally, the PS clarified various allegations that were made on the involvement of the National Treasury in the purchase of the alleged software.
"The article claims that "confidential accounts" exist within the National Treasury, from which funds would allegedly be allocated for the purported scheme," he responded.
"This is entirely untrue. No such accounts exist, and the operations of the National Treasury are governed by strict legal and regulatory frameworks that ensure transparency and accountability."
Further, he maintained that he had never met or interacted with the individual reported to have sued key allies of President William Ruto in court with respect to the software.
Media Reports on Spyware
On Tuesday, media reports emerged alleging that the government had planned to deploy software to counter the hostilities against the Ruto administration on digital platforms.
As alleged in the article, the government was going to spend Ksh120 million to acquire the software from American owners. A Kenyan with links to a Canadian company was allegedly involved in the collapsed deal.
Reports indicated that the software could also be used to monitor online activities and influence various narratives through propaganda hashtags.
Additionally, it was also claimed that the software would manage the President and Deputy President Kithure Kindiki's social media pages and delete negative comments.
This would in turn help in managing people's perceptions of the duo ahead of the 2027 polls.
