By Anderson Ojwang
President William Ruto is not about to relent on his attack on KANU party leader Gideon Moi, terming him a billionaire hiding behind ‘debts’ to enslave his employees.
Interestingly, on Wednesday, Ruto released his tweet attacking Moi at 9.30 am and today’s tweet was posted at 9.07 am. On Wednesday, Ruto had a single tweet, unlike other days where he has several tweets to show the intensity and the importance of the post in his engagement.
Tactfully, Moi did not respond but only posted at 7.22 pm about his meeting with Ms Susan Burns, Chargé d’Affaires of the United States Embassy in Kenya, for an insightful discussion on a range of issues and shared the photo.
Ruto followed today’s tweet with a video clip showcasing his development programme in Kamkunji.
He wrote on his X handle: “Bro, the Billionaire you are, hiding behind ‘debts’ forcing many months’ unpaid labour slaving to defend Standard headlines Bold extortion gangsterism driven by greed, is heartless to loyal workers, insult to journalism and betrayal to free media that Standard once belonged”
Yesterday, The Standard responded with a humorous poster reading: “Even the President reads The Standard. Due to overwhelming demand, we are printing the Standard 8 days a week. To meet our demand orders from above Lol”
The Standard Chief Executive Officer, Mr Chaacha Mwita, said in a statement that the Standard Media Group was not a propaganda machine.
“The Standard stands for bold, responsible and accountable journalism. We tell the facts as they are, even when they are uncomfortable for those in positions of authority. When we err, it is our policy to correct the record promptly,” Mwita said.
The CEO said the Standard Media cannot celebrate when the nation fails and that Kenya was for all.
“We, however, admit that the President, in his post, was right on one thing: ‘Kenya belongs to all Kenyans. We cannot celebrate the failures of leadership, because when government fails, the country pays the price,’” he wrote.
Mwita asked what greater form of blackmail there could be than a government withholding Sh1.2 billion that it owes to the group.
“The Standard Group PLC will hold the government fully accountable should any harm befall the media house, its journalists, management, directors or its shareholders as a result of the President’s remarks,” he said.
Chaacha Mwita in a statement said that the company holds Ruto’s office in high regard and would not ordinarily respond to him, but since he had singled out the Standard Newspaper, a response was necessary.
The CEO said the company employs Kenyans who work hard and deserve the opportunity to earn from their labour, questioning why the Ruto administration was yet to settle the dues.
“The Standard Group PLC remains committed to its constitutional duty: To inform, to scrutinise and to uphold the public’s right to know, a task we will continue to execute with professional zeal, independence and respect for institutions that safeguard democracy.”
Yesterday, President Ruto in his post on his X handle—and the only post of the day by the time we went to the press—was hard-hitting and set the tone for the battle lines.
Ruto wrote: “GMoi, your Standard media’s 5 days a week EXTORTIONIST propaganda HEADLINES on me and my administration’s transformative track record will get you NOTHING and NOWHERE BLACKMAIL to yield to your GREED? Never, Kenya belongs to all Kenyans, not you alone. Jaribu 8 days a week. Do your WORST,”
Wounds
The short-lived political, thorny marriage between President Ruto and Moi has crumbled and collapsed altogether.
The brotherhood, which was witnessed ahead of last year’s Baringo senatorial by-election when Ruto visited Kabarak and the graveside of Kenya’s second president, the late Daniel Moi, to seal the marriage that witnessed Gideon’s withdrawal of his candidature, has now been thrown out of the window.
Moi squandered the golden opportunity to rebrand and place the party of independence, KANU, into the country’s political matrix in national politics at the by-election.
The by-election would have offered Moi an opportunity for an elective slot in the Senate and breathed a new lease of life into the party.
But the astute and strategic Ruto prevailed on Moi and lured him to drop his interest and instead join the broad-based government arrangement project.
This decision came after a private meeting with Ruto at State House, following which Moi failed to present his nomination papers to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
The pain
Gideon in a statement then wrote: “We’ve elected to pursue the path of unity and shared purpose at this crucial point in our nation. As such, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the people of Baringo for their support and for granting us a chance to move beyond our differences and mould a cohesive and prosperous nation,”
In the 2022 general election, the late William Cheptumo won the race by garnering 147,177 votes against Moi’s 71,480 and was poised to win the by-election against UDA candidate Kiprono Chemitei.
Gideon would have started the campaign with a strong 71,480 votes, and the changing political terrain in the county had endeared the electorate to him, but he blew the chance.
Ruto then told the residents that he had prevailed on Gideon to withdraw his candidature and join him in uniting the country.
“To the family of our father, Daniel Moi and the people of Baringo, let me thank God for allowing us to gather here, at Kabarak, the home of our father, the second president of Kenya. I am happy. When I spoke with my brother Gideon, we discussed and planned about the old, previous, current and future issues. After we had agreed on all the issues, the problem of who and where the message to be delivered came into play. I told him, Kabarak was the best venue. Because Kabarak, it is our home. Nobody welcomes us here at Kabarak. We are at home. I understand Kabarak better. I know all the rooms and everything here at Kabarak. If there was a person closer to Moi in his last years as president of Kenya, it was William Ruto,” he said then.
Tears
President Ruto said he was the one who approached Gideon and announced that KANU will be joining the broad-based government.
“I told Gideon kindly join me and let us pull the country together. I have had a conversation with Raila Odinga. I have sat down with my predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta and I have explained to him that we need to move this country to the next level. And I have looked for my brother Gideon. I told him it is time for us to move Kenya to the next level. We must work together and that is why I looked for Gideon. I told him, I want you to come and help me pull this country together to elevate it to the next level. If there is a mistake anywhere, blame it on me,” he said.
