Trade Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria, on Sunday June 18, launched a scathing verbal attack against Nation Media Group (NMG), criticizing what many perceived to be the stable's negative portrayal of the ruling government and its coverage of corruption within high-ranking government circles.
Speaking during the Akorino Annual Convention held in Embu County, the CS publicly asked the media house to declare a stand and clarify whether it was fulfilling its role as a watchdog role or aligning itself with the opposition.
Kuria explicitly threatened to cut government advertising assigned to NMG. He sternly warned all government officials that promoting advertisements on NMG platforms would not be tolerated, effective from Sunday, June 18. He emphasized that any official who failed to comply with this directive would face immediate dismissal.
“You need to decide if you are a newspaper, broadcasting house, a media station or an opposition party,” he charged.
Nation Media Group, is one of the mainstream media houses in the country. It runs NTV, Daily Nation, Nation Africa, and Nation FM, among other brands.
“I have stated that starting tomorrow if I see any government agency placing adverts in Nation Media, the person responsible will be fired,” he added.
Shortly after, the CS took the war online by posting an expletive-riddled tweet. The post sarcastically implied that in the future, the media house would primarily attract business related to auctioneers and death announcements through its classifieds section.
Nation Media Group, prior to Kuria's confrontation, aired an investigative piece that exposed misappropriation of over Ksh6 billion in an oil scandal allegedly orchestrated by the Ministries of Trade and Agriculture.
By the time of publishing this piece, The Media Owners Association, the Editors Guild and the Media Council of Kenya (MCK) had not yet responded to Kuria's tirade.
Earlier on, Senate Majority Leader, Aaron Cheruiyot, had also accused Nation Media Group of biased coverage in relation to a scandal involving Gatanga MP Edward Muriu and Labour CS Florence Bore.
The MP had accused the cabinet secretary of illegally occupying his Ksh120 million house in Karen. Cheruiyot accused the media of running the story without seeking comment from Bore.
Due to the overwhelming media attention surrounding the case, Bore faced significant backlash on social media, which compelled her to release a statement. In her statement, she asserted that she had indeed agreed to purchase the house from the MP.
Bore further claimed that the MP intended to back out of the deal after finding a more favorable offer from another buyer. Following this development, Cheruiyot, asked the media to cover Bore's side of the story with the same vigour to give the story more context.
“I hope it will be given the same prominence that was given to the MP," Cheruiyot complained.
Similarly, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on May 21, accused the mainstream media of incessantly criticising the government while turning a blind eye to its achievements.
“Do not give a one-sided story. When you give a story of broken promises, give the story of the kept promises and leave the people of Kenya to make a decision on whether in seven months substantial progress has been made,” he stated.
The DP, in January 2023, also claimed that the media often misinterprets his remarks to suit a certain narrative.
Advertising in Mainstream
In response to rapidly evolving consumer habits and a significant decline in government advertising following the pandemic, the Nation Media Group took a proactive step in 2020 by launching its digital brand, Nation.Africa. This strategic move aimed to address the changing media landscape and reduce overdependence on government advertising.
Nation. Africa also launched a paywall, which was later pulled down in the buildup to the 2022 general elections as the publication looked to increase readership.
In 2021, print accounted for 72 per cent of the Group’s revenue. However, following the launch of its revamped digital website, the media house experienced a notable 20% increase in digital revenue that year.
As part of its continuous Newsroom Integration Project, NMG in 2023 implemented additional changes in its editorial leadership. Notably, the company converged its print and online platforms to be fully operational under one structure.
"We will therefore have the two structures operating hand in hand in a mutually reinforcing fashion until the transition is done.
"This is an important exercise that touches on how we are organised, how we do our work and what direction our journalism, in general, will take going forward. As such we have to handle it carefully and with due regard to the important role that each of us plays in our respective newsrooms every day. This explains why the new structure has to be put in place in phases," Group Editorial Director Joe Ageyo stated.
