Pictures in the media showed Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua at a meeting with security chiefs on March 26. The chiefs’ boss, Cabinet Secretary Prof Kindiki Kithuri, was missing. Reporters noticed. Asked questions.
The Deputy President didn’t like the questions.
“Nyinyi watu wa Azimio muachane na sisi. Mungojee tuonane na nyinyi 2027,” The Standard quoted Gachagua. “Join Azimio and your fellows tukutane kwa debe, na msituuzie uoga (You Azimio people – media – leave us alone. Wait for us at the ballot box in 2027.”
The April 1 story was titled, “Rigathi: Why Kindiki was not in my meeting with security officers ahead of Azimio demos”.
The story by Brian Okoth suggests the Deputy President is starting to see enemies everywhere, even in the press corps.
“These media people, Prime Cabinet Secretary, do not worry about them,” Gachagua said in reference to allegations about differences between him and Musalia Mudavadi. “These are Azimio people. They are part of Azimio. So, you should not be bothered about them.”
The story continued to quote Gachagua: “They [media] are still in denial [that Ruto won against Raila Odinga]. They are still hoping that Raila can push us to bring him into government and then they (media) can join government too. That is why they are glorifying violence and anarchy, because they are part of Azimio.”If these quotes are accurate, they’re astounding. Such disparaging of the media from the presidency demonstrates blatant, complete mistrust and 100 per cent dismissal of media by the government of the day.
Such talk from senior most state officers is always a precursor of government propaganda, serial misinformation. It’s the most dangerous affront to press freedom, a death knell to civil liberties, democracy.
It is media’s responsibility to raise the red flag.
