Defence Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya was on Wednesday morning pressed to explain why the article published by the Nation Media Group (NMG), alleging that former Prime Minister Raila Odinga saved President William Ruto from an attempted coup, was inaccurate.
Appearing before the Senate plenary, the Defence Minister clarified that the media house had erred by describing the government’s deployment of the military in July last year as a coup.
Addressing the legislators, Tuya maintained that the use of the term 'coup' in the article published by the Sunday Nation was misleading, making the report baseless, inaccurate, and reckless.
“The question on what was inaccurate in the article by the Nation Media Group— to the extent that the article referred to a military coup— I can only say that it is indeed baseless, inaccurate, and reckless,” CS Tuya explained.
The former Environment CS clarified the issue after Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna pressed her to explain why the Defence Ministry, in its statement on Monday, March 17, had termed the Nation article as inaccurate.
Sifuna, while engaging the CS, sought to know which part of the Nation’s article was inaccurate regarding the coup allegations, given the public knowledge of the military's deployment in July last year.
“I saw a very curious statement from your ministry dated March 17 regarding the circumstances of the deployment of the KDF in July 2024. As you know, I am a firm believer in the freedom of the media, and we must say that we were very concerned to see the army in the streets during the protests,” Sifuna stated.
“My party leader has addressed certain possibilities of a military takeover in specific regions. In your view, what was inaccurate in the Daily Nation report regarding the possibility of this country being handed over to the military? Explain the basis of your conclusion in that statement,” he asked.
In an exclusive interview, Nation Media reported that Raila claimed the deployment of the military during the anti-Finance Bill protests in 2024 could have escalated into a situation where the military fully took control of the country.
Tuya's latest statement comes just two days after she took a swipe at Nation media over the aforementioned article, terming the story as sensational reporting.
In a press statement on Monday, March 17, the CS said the story in question was based on unverified claims aimed at increasing readership rather than upholding journalistic integrity.
"The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) is a professional and apolitical institution committed to the highest standards of integrity, discipline, and service to the nation," the Defence CS said.
"KDF remains unwavering in its loyalty to the Commander-in-Chief and its duty to safeguard the security and well-being of Kenya and her people, free from political influence or sectarian interests."
