This article, written by Bob Odalo, first appeared in today´s issue of the independent Kenyan newspaper the Nation. It has been edited for republication here by HRH / Niels Jacob Harbitz.
Michuki said: “This newspaper called the Standard, when I carried out an operation there things were said about me but I am not one to be intimidated by what is written in newspapers. I did what I did because of national security and even now if I find them repeating the same things I would repeat what I did there. If I see that the security of this nation is threatened, and if I find any reason to repeat what I did there, I would do the same.”
The Minister portrayed as rattlesnake
The minister´s remarks came as Kenyans grappled with the mystery of last Friday night´s attack on Hope FM in which a man was shot dead and others seriously injured by hooded gunmen. Nobody has been arrested in connection with the raid but police said they were following clues on telephone calls made to the station just before the attack. Yesterday, Mr Michuki, who was speaking in Kibwezi, appeared to have been angered by cartoons about the Hope FM raid in the Nation and Standard which featured him, and which drew comparison with the March raid. Both cartoons portrayed the minister in the context of his response to the March raid in which he likened the Government to a rattlesnake which had been disturbed by the media and reacted angrily.
War on graft
During the raid, masked security men raided the Standard press in Nairobi´s Industrial Area and the studios of its sister TV station KTN and carried away computers and other property which is yet to be returned. His comments about the media yesterday came after he defended the Government´s fight against corruption. He had told the crowd that the Government´s war on graft was successful and that the State was collecting three times more than the Kanu government had in taxes. “If we were corrupt, we would declare the same amount of money which the former government used to collect and pocket the rest,” he said.
Journalists never tell the truth
Mr Michuki then told the gathering not to believe what was written in newspapers. “Do not think that what is written by the media is the truth. These are people who never tell the truth,” the minister said, pointing at journalists who were covering the meeting. He told the crowd that he was among the ministers who had been unfairly treated by the media. The Government would not hesitate to use force against any news house that demeans the State, he warned. “I have no apologies to make on the destruction that the Government meted out on the Standard group two months ago and if the situation demands, I will order for a repeat performance to any media house which is out to destroy the Government,” Mr Michuki said.
