The Media Council of Kenya is outraged by what it describes as a reckless and dangerous verbal attack by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on Citizen TV journalist Stephen Letoo, stating that the former Deputy President is threatening media freedom with his remarks and putting journalists in harm’s way.
The Council said Gachagua’s remarks on December 3, 2025, where he publicly named Letoo and branded him “the worst journalist,” accusing him of bias and demanding that Royal Media Services fire him, crossed the line into intimidation of the press.
According to the regulator, direct attacks by high-ranking political figures endanger the safety of individual journalists and undermine the country’s democratic principles.
MCK noted that journalists already operate in high-risk environments, particularly during political rallies, church events and other public gatherings where violence frequently erupts.
“In a climate already fraught with insecurity at political rallies, church gatherings, and public events, where disputes over mobilisation often escalate into violence, singling out a journalist by name constitutes incitement and places him in grave personal danger,” the Council warned.
Intimidation Ahead of the 2027 Elections
The Media Council emphasised that the timing of Gachagua’s remarks is especially concerning, as Kenya enters the heightened political season leading to the 2027 General Election. It said journalists must remain free to question leaders, interrogate their claims and provide factual reporting without intimidation.
“When figures who claim to champion democracy resort to intimidation and demand the sacking of journalists simply for fulfilling their constitutional duty, they must be unequivocally condemned,” the statement read.
MCK reminded Gachagua and other political actors that media freedom and journalists’ safety are protected under Article 34 of the Constitution, and that these rights are non-negotiable.
The Council called on all leaders, whether current or former, to cease the targeting, threatening or inciting of hostility against journalists. It also called on law-enforcement agencies to take note of such remarks and ensure adequate protection for media workers facing increased risks in the field.
“The media will not be silenced by intimidation. Those seeking public office must accept scrutiny rather than attempt to suppress it,” MCK stated.
Gachagua’s Attack on the Press
Gachagua criticised the media during a Wednesday, December 3 event to celebrate newly elected Members of County Assembly (MCAs). He accused multiple outlets of misreporting his Sunday address and intentionally spreading “false information.”
He singled out Citizen TV reporter Stephen Letoo, alleging that Letoo distorted facts about an incident during a Thanksgiving ceremony for the newly elected MCA for Kariobangi North on November 30.
“Stephen Letoo filed a very biased report on Sunday. And you were personally there. Criminals attacked us in church and were driven away by church members,” Gachagua said.
“They came back backed by police with guns and fought us. The OCS threw a teargas canister in the church. Then Letoo files a report that the police came to separate the gangs who were fighting. That’s a lie,” he added.
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