State House: 'Mungiki' story false

By Newsflash Correspondent

State House has strongly denied a report alleging that a proscribed group is involved in planning President William Ruto’s upcoming tour of the Mt Kenya region, terming it as “reckless, inciteful, and baseless.”

In a statement issued on Monday, March 31, the Head of the Presidential Communication Service, Munyori Buku, dismissed the claims as “pure fiction.”

A stinging rebuttal

Buku accused The Standard newspaper of failing to uphold basic journalistic principles, such as verifying facts and seeking official comment from the Presidency before publishing the report. He further alleged that the newspaper was deliberately spreading misinformation to mislead the public.

“This latest installment in The Standard’s campaign of reckless sensationalism is not only anchored on tenuous, shaky conjecture but also laced with outright falsehoods. The outrageous claim that a proscribed group is involved in planning the President’s tour of Mt Kenya is not only manifestly false but also dangerously irresponsible,” Buku said.

He insisted that all preparations for the visit had been made through official government channels, including consultations with regional governors, national government officials, security agencies, and community leaders.

Dismisses unnamed sources

The Presidential Communication Service took issue with the newspaper’s reliance on anonymous sources, arguing that this exposed The Standard’s lack of credibility.

“Instead of engaging in fact-based reporting, The Standard clings to its favorite tools: unnamed sources, imaginary claims, and shadowy insinuations—the telltale signs of journalism in free fall,” Buku stated.

He further criticized the newspaper’s editorial standards, alleging that its reporting was motivated by a need to boost dwindling readership and circulation.

Government calls for accountability

Buku warned that State House would hold the publication accountable for what he termed as a pattern of misinformation. He urged media houses to uphold professional ethics and avoid fueling unnecessary tensions through misleading reports.

“If the newspaper has chosen to weaponize misinformation to prop up its waning relevance, it should prepare to be held to account not only by the institutions it maligns but also by the public, whose trust it so carelessly continues to betray,” he stated.

The Standard has yet to respond to the statement.