Press Secretary of the Presidential Communication Service (PCS) Emmanuel Talam took on CNN journalist Larry Madowo after the latter questioned President William Ruto for double speak.
Madowo, in a statement on X, formerly Twitter, wondered why Ruto attended the Italy-Africa Summit despite his opposition to African leaders attending similar meetings en masse.
The international journalist even shared a photo of Ruto alongside African Union (AU) officials, whom the Kenyan President proposed to represent Africa in global events.
However, Madowo's sentiments did not sit well with Talam who called on the journalist to read Ruto's speech at the meeting before criticising without facts.
"President William Ruto said he and other African leaders would not be summoned by one country. The African Union would represent them going forward. He's standing just steps away from both the AU chair & the AU Commission chair in Italy while other East African presidents skipped," Madowo stated.
"Create time to read the President’s speech. Basic journalism," Talam lashed out.
In rebuttal, Madowo, a former NTV news anchor called out Talam who once served as an editor at the Standard, opining that he could not lecture him on journalism.
"You don't have the range to lecture me about journalism," Madowo responded.
Madowo's tweet on Ruto has attracted mixed reactions from Kenyans online with the CNN journalist trending across social media platforms for the better part of Monday evening and Tuesday morning.
Notably, some Kenyans shared in the journalists' sentiments, given that the Head of State previously opined that intercontinental summits were not productive as African leaders were pursuing different interests. He liked the meeting to the summoning of African leaders by one country.
On the other hand, some Kenyans opined that Ruto's attendance was crucial given that he could use the opportunity to advance Kenya's agenda.
At the conference, Ruto was invited to speak on energy security in his capacity as the Chair of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC).
State House added that Ruto would hold talks with various multinational financial institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
"The Head of State is also scheduled to hold discussions with President Sergio Mattarella of Italy to foster bilateral cooperation. The leaders will review agreements reached during President Mattarella's State Visit to Kenya last year and in subsequent meetings with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
"Additionally, projects formed through the collaboration between Italy and Kenya will be expedited including programmes in environmental conservation, climate change resilience, water, education, health, energy and culture," State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohamed announced then.
Ruto confirmed meeting IMF's director, Kristalina Georgieva, on the sidelines of the summit. He praised the IMF as a central player in facilitating trade and promoting economic growth.
"Its Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF), in particular, has helped Kenya maintain macroeconomic stability, strengthen debt sustainability and build buffers against economic shocks."
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