Top Media Events That Rocked 2022

Former IEBC chairperson Wafula Chebubaki and his former vice chair Juliana Cherera at a past event.
Former IEBC chairperson Wafula Chebukati and his former vice chair Juliana Cherera at a past event.
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The media landscape has not been without its intrigues in the past 365 days. 

From President William Ruto's altercation with Citizen TV to outspoken lawyer Miguna Miguna's confrontation with NTV and Standard Group days after his return, the media space has received its fair share of plots. 

Kenyans.co.ke takes a look at media events that rocked this year. 

An image of former president Uhuru Kenyatta handing over the Sword to President William Ruto at Kasarani Stadium, Nairobi.
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta hands over the sword to President William Ruto at Kasarani Stadium, Nairobi on September 13, 2022.
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Ruto singles out media (Citizen TV)

A rift was seemingly brewing between the-then Deputy President William Ruto and Royal Media Services (RMS) as the latter was accused of bias against the Kenya Kwanza coalition during the electioneering period. 

RMS boss, Samuel Kamau Macharia publicly declared his support for Azimio's Raila Odinga, a decision that resulted in a section of politicians accusing him of using his business to hype up Raila's campaign. 

Despite their political differences, President Ruto announced that he would not pursue a personal vendetta, hours after the Supreme Court upheld his August 9 presidential election victory. 

While making the address, Ruto affirmed that the station would be treated equally as other media houses. 

Confusion when tallying the results 

Coming at a time when Kenyans had already exercised their constitutional rights by casting their votes on the August 9 elections, the next step was to patiently wait for the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to tally the results. 

However, the commission had provided a portal for Kenyans to access and tally the results in a bid to enhance transparency and accountability. 

Further, media houses were also tallying the results as they were trickling in to provide a real time tally. However, confusion arose when giant media houses such as Citizen TV, KTN, NTV were tallying different results hence showing different candidates on the lead. 

This baffled Kenyans who wondered which candidate was rightfully on the lead- as the media houses exhibited different results. 

On the days leading to the announcement by IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati, the media houses stopped showing the results- leading to more confusion. 

Chebukati eventually announced Ruto as the victor on August 15, 2022.

Ruto's CNN interview 

During his first foreign tour, President Ruto was put to task on various issues on an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour. 

The issues ranged from homosexuality to his threat of deporting chinese nationals after assuming the presidency.

Ruto, maintained his stance on homosexuality, adding that it was a non-issue in Kenya that is focused on other dire issues. 

On his threat to deport Chinese nationals, Ruto clarified that his administration would only go after foreigners who conducted illegal businesses. 

While detailing his foreign policy, Ruto affirmed that he intended to scale up regional peace initiatives. 

RMS and Mediamax pay Kang'ata 

Murang'a governor Irungu Kang'ata sued both the Royal Media Services (RMS) and Mediamax Limited over articles published in 2021, that the politician claimed tainted his reputation. 

The two media houses, however, managed to reach an out-of-court settlement, whereby RMS and Mediamax agreed to pay Ksh6 million and Ksh6.5 million respectively. 

Kang'ata, through his lawyers, claimed that the media houses had posted doctored clips to prove a certain narrative. 

The clips, showed the Senate proceedings that gave a false voice over which gave an impression that he was speaking in a compromised location. 

While responding to Kang'ata's suit, the media houses claimed they operated in good faith and had no malicious intent. 

Miguna controversial interview with Ageyo

Since his deportation in March 2018, outspoken lawyer Miguna Miguna came back to a resounding welcome from supporters who escorted him from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on October 20, 2022. 

Two days after his arrival, he graced an interview on NTV, which he discussed key issues affecting the country. 

However, Miguna and NTV's Joe Ageyo exchanged a verbal confrontation over the fallout between the lawyer and Azimio's Raila Odinga. 

"When you ask a question, you can't dictate how I'm going to answer it because I did not construct the question," Miguna posed.

A day later, Miguna also had an altercation with Spice FM after he refused to sign Standard Group's rules before the scheduled interview. 

In a statement, Miguna termed the move as efforts to gag him and force him to give them a blanket indemnity minutes before the interview began.

Outspoken lawyer Miguna Miguna speaks to the media after landing at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Thursday, October 20, 2022.
Outspoken lawyer Miguna Miguna speaks to the media after landing at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Thursday, October 20, 2022.
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