Speaking on Wednesday after flagging off this year’s Safari Rally in Naivasha, Dr Ruto promised to “do his bit” in defending the media from the erratic minister who has been on a tear since the Nation Media Group published an exposé on the edible oils scandal that has allegedly cost the government billions.
“We must defend the media, we must defend their right to criticize, to say whatever it is that they want to say even if it is propaganda,” said the president.
But in the same breath, President Ruto defended Moses Kuria saying the media must also be ready to be criticised when people speak up.
“I saw one journalist saying that the President should defend us from Moses Kuria, that’s fine; I will do my bit, but I want to ask them who is going to defend me from rogue media because I go through hell all the time,” posed Ruto.
The Trade CS started his attacks on Nation Media Group (NMG), its owner and journalists accusing them of being “an opposition party” before making a roadside declaration directed at government agencies to stop advertising with the media house, failure to which they would be sacked.
He was seemingly responding to an exposé NMG ran over the weekend exposing an oil scandal allegedly orchestrated by his ministry.
Moments after his speech, he went on Twitter to call the media house’s journalists “prostitutes”, angering many Kenyans who deemed it too low and juvenile.
His attacks have been condemned by the Kenya Journalists Union, Kenya Editors Guild, the Civil Society and even Deputy President Rigathi and Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi.