Nairobi News

Former Defence Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa has defended the media amid attacks from Senate Majority leader Aaron Cheruiyot.

Speaking on March 7, 2023, at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters, Wamalwa described the media as the only entity that should not be crushed because it links the public to the government.

Wamalwa, the DAP-K party boss, had accompanied Azimio Raila Odinga to the DCI headquarters to check on former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i. Mr Matiang’i had been summoned for grilling over claims he reportedly made regarding a police raid at his Nairobi home.

He noted that the media is the cornerstone of Kenya’s democracy and doubted President William Ruto’s ability to crush the media.

“We are saying they can crush Dr Matiang’i, they can crush Wamalwa, they can crush Azimio, Parliament or the Judiciary. But they must never crush the media because you are the cornerstone of our democracy, you are the ones who tell Kenyans the truth,” said Wamalwa.

Cheruiyot had on March 6, 2023, described the media as a ‘cartel’.

The statement, made on his the politician’s official Twitter page, has attracted criticism from stakeholders including media houses and Kenya Editors Guild (KEG) boss Churchill Otieno.

But Cheruiyot has stood its ground, and instead further accused the media of harbouring journalists with ‘low ethical standards’.

Cheruiyot’s stinging criticism comes weeks after Deputy President Rigathi Gachahua also accused the media of dividing Kenyans and taking sides during the August 2022 polls.

“The media was on the side of the deep state, system and Azimio but we defeated them all. So you should never be scared now that we have power because they can do nothing and I do not even fear them,” said the DP.

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