Standard columnist Father Gabriel Dolan has quit the media organization after his article highlighting the experiences of victims who suffered in various ways under former President Daniel Moi's 24-year rule was not published.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke on Thursday, February 20, Dolan disclosed that he failed to receive an explanation for the decision not to publish his story and opted to quit.
He further stated that media coverage by the Standard Group following the death of former President Daniel Arap Moi on February 4 had been heavily biased.
The Irish priest who came to Kenya as a missionary in 1982 is known for his hard-hitting weekly columns that delve into issues affecting Kenyans such as corruption, land reform, police brutality and extra-judicial killings.
He intimated that the article in question sought to ensure that those who suffered arbitrary arrests and torture between 1978 and 2002 were not forgotten following the former President's demise.
The Moi family has interests in the media sector with a significant stake in Standard Group Plc., Dolan's former employer.
"It was a harmless article. It talked of piece and reconciliation so I was surprised by the decision not to publish it. I waited for an explanation for five days but it was not forthcoming.
"I brought out the pain of victims who suffered during Moi's rule for instance at the Nyayo torture chambers. I even suggested that President Uhuru Kenyatta should invite them to State House," Dolan revealed.
Dolan was among eight prominent columnists who quit Standard rival newspaper Daily Nation in March 2018 as they claimed the media behemoth had allowed the government to interfere with editorial decisions.
Among the columnists who quit were Rasna Warah, Kwamchetsi Makokha, George Kegoro, Muthoni Wanyeki, Nic Cheeseman, Maina Kiai and Gabrielle Lynch.
Dolan revealed that he was approached by the Standard a day after he quit Nation alongside some of his former colleagues including Kiai and Kegoro.
Dolan claimed that he knew something was amiss at Standard when they sent home Kiai and Kegoro towards the end of 2019 supposedly for financial reasons.
"I knew something was wrong when they dismissed Maina Kiai and Kegoro at the end of 2019.
"They said it was for financial reasons but this is a large group and they paid us peanuts anyway so that couldn't have been it," he shared.
Dolan lamented a dearth of quality and substance in modern-day journalism, further observing that the industry was 'full of corruption'.
He further disclosed that he had submitted the article rejected by Standard to The Elephant, an independent, digital-only publication.
