State House has dismissed media reports that President William Ruto has turned to the outlawed Mungiki sect to mobilize people during his tour to the Mt Kenya region.
In a statement on Monday, Munyori Buku, Head of the Presidential Communication Service, said the story published by the Standard Newspaper was misleading.
Buku termed the story as part of a propaganda scheme orchestrated by the Standard Media Group.
“This latest instalment in its campaign of reckless sensationalism, flagrant hostility, and thinly veiled propaganda is not only anchored on tenuous, shaky conjecture but also laced with outright falsehoods, all seemingly orchestrated to prop up a publication beleaguered by thinning circulation, plummeting readership, and chronic commercial stagnation,” said Buku.
He pointed out that claims that Mungiki will be used by the government during Ruto’s tour are dangerously irresponsible and inciteful.
File image of President William Ruto and Munyori Buku.
Buku noted that the Head of State has been holding consultative meetings with regional governors and National Government officials to plan the visit.
He also said that Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has similarly engaged Members of Parliament and Senators from the region in preparation, and that the local leadership, security agencies, and communities are more than capable of coordinating a presidential tour without resorting to the involvement of outlawed groups.
“The outrageous, outlandish claim that a proscribed group is involved in planning the President’s tour of the Mt Kenya region this week is not only manifestly false, but it is also dangerously irresponsible, reckless and inciteful,” Buku stated.
The Head of the Presidential Communication Service further said the local daily uses unverifiable sources, which is against the principles of credible journalism.
“In an act of pure contempt for the principles of credible journalism, the paper didn’t even bother to seek a comment from the Presidency a fundamental tenet of responsible reporting. But this is hardly surprising from a publication that knows too well that a fabricated story collapses the moment it is subjected to the slightest scrutiny,” he added.
President Ruto is set to start his 5-day tour in the Mt Kenya region on Tuesday SApril 1 and will be launching development projects.
