Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has accused President William Ruto’s administration of orchestrating a sustained crackdown on journalists and independent media houses, alleging that press freedom is under growing threat as the country edges closer to the 2027 General Election.
Addressing a press conference at his Wamunyoro home on Tuesday, Gachagua claimed Kenya was witnessing a familiar but troubling pattern in which journalists and bloggers become targets of state intimidation whenever a sitting government fears losing power at the ballot.
“We have had a bad pattern in Kenya that, ahead of general elections, journalists and bloggers get targeted by unpopular regimes that fear the power of the people at the ballot. Some journalists or bloggers either disappear, are silenced, compromised, or killed altogether,” Gachagua said.
He alleged that journalists covering corruption, abuse of the rule of law and misuse of public resources continue to operate under intimidation from state agencies, claiming that those who refuse to be silenced “live under perpetual fear, intimidation and daily threats from the state machinery.”
The DCP leader further accused Ruto of attacking the editorial independence of the Standard Media Group following its broadcast of an investigative feature scrutinising the President’s public statements. He said the President’s response on social media amounted to an assault on press freedom protected under Article 34 of the Constitution.
Gachagua also claimed that a journalist linked to the contentious report was under round-the-clock surveillance by security agencies, warning that the government would be held accountable for her safety.
“If anything happens to Vera, William Ruto must be held to account,” he said, though he did not provide evidence to support the surveillance claims.
The former deputy president extended his allegations to journalists attached to MediaMax Limited, claiming several had faced online and physical harassment, with some allegedly threatened by individuals linked to the political establishment.
He further alleged that the government was planning to weaken some media houses by cutting state advertising revenue and interfering with internet access during the 2027 election period, though he did not present evidence for these claims.
Drawing a regional comparison, Gachagua condemned the recent shutdown of NTV Uganda, Spark TV and Daily Monitor by Uganda’s military chief, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, suggesting a wider erosion of press freedom across East Africa.
“Press freedom is not a privilege granted by the state, but a right recognised under our Constitution,” Gachagua said, urging journalists, editors and media houses to remain firm in defending editorial independence.
He appealed to the Kenya Editors Guild and international press freedom organisations to monitor the situation closely, warning Kenyans that an attack on the media today could pave the way for broader restrictions on citizens’ freedoms tomorrow.
The government had not responded to Gachagua’s allegations at the time of publication, and several of the claims remain unverified.
