Government demands apology from NMG as it hits media house with 5 harsh demands

Liatema Munyu

November 3, 2016 8:50 AM

The government has come out strongly in its defense following hard hitting allegations of runaway graft.

The latest allegations have seen a reported theft of 5 billion shillings from the Ministry of health. The graft allegations were first published as a lead story by Business Daily and later NTV did an explosive coverage of the same titled System ya Majambazi.

Other media houses soon did follow up stories and the ministry of health PS and CS reactions confirmed what many believed had had really happened.

Now after a series of high level meetings the government seems to have come up with a strategy and it has fired its first salvo in an effort to curb the damage suffered and take control of the situation.

The Cabinet Secretary for Information, technologies and communications Joe Mucheru has written to the Media Council of Kenya complaining on behalf of the government the manner in which the Nation Media Group covered the story.

In his complaint, the CS accused Nation of skewed reporting and defamation and wants MCK to hold the media house accountable for their coverage which he said portrayed the government as “corrupt, inept and full of thieves”.

He also said what the Nation Media house had done was “outright defamation and character assassination.

In defense of the government, Joe Mucheru through the report stated that the interim report cannot be used as a reference report since it only raises questions that need to be answered.

The Cabinet secretary also took issue with the fact that the media house did not highlight the fact that one of its companies Gazeti Limited was among the companies which were give the now controversial tenders.

The CS now ants action taken against Nation Media group including having the media show where the interim report states state officials stole 5 billion and the proof of the theft.

The government also wants an apology from the media house covered in the same manner the reports were done. Here is the official complaint from the minister.

Liatema Munyu