President William Ruto has sustained his onslaught on the Standard Media Group, which has been on war path with him over his style of leadership.
Ruto's friction with the media organisation reached a climax a few days ago when the head of state took to the X social network to admonish the media house, accusing it of weaponising its flagship newspaper to fight his regime.
In response, the Standard ran a host of editorial pieces across its print, broadcast, and digital platforms, castigating the president for overseeing maladministration and reneging on his campaign promises.
In one of its most critical pieces, the media house called out Ruto for undertaking what it suggested were meaningless domestic trips characterised by "lavish convoys and helicopter fleets, with each trip accompanied by millions in mobilisation handouts."
In his defense, the president justified his travels, noting they are in the best interest of Kenyans.
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Speaking in Meru Sunday, June 28, the president said it is part of his job description to visit all parts of the country to address the diverse challenges there.
"I am surprised there are people asking me why I go from place to place. Why are they asking me yet the time and legs are not theirs. They say I have travelled across Kenya a lot. I want to tell them that I am an employee of Kenyans, and I have the responsibility to listen to Kenyans from all parts of the country, and making sure I go to where they are to interact with them and learn about their challenges," he said.
Ruto stated that he is redefining the presidency by refusing to be an armchair head of state, arguing that he purposely traverses the country to connect with citizens while getting a firsthand feel of the challenges facing them.
"I will continue visiting the whole country, and I won't ask for anyone's permission. Back in the day, there was discrimination because the president only visited select areas. Those asking me questions should not that I am not a king but a president employed by Kenyans," he said.
Ruto's criticism of The Standard were basically aimed at KANU chairman Gideon Moi, whose family is believed to be the proprietor of the media house.
He accused Gideon of advancing selfish agenda against his regime, and using the paper as a blackmail tool.
Ruto suggested that Gideon had been undertaking greedy pursuits against the state, vowing not to give in into blackmail.
But in its response, The Standard outlined that its undertakings are not shaped by Gideon, saying they were being castigated for exposing apparent governance malpractices in Ruto's regime.
The Standard vowed to continue with its editorial style, saying they "would not cheer failure".
