Aaron Cheruiyot Defiant Over Media Cartel Remarks After NTV's Smriti Vidyarthi Schools Him

Kericho Senator Aaron Cheruiyot stood by his remarks of the media being a 'powerful and influential cartel' despite NTV news anchor, Smriti Vidyarthi being among the first news anchors to call him out.

Vidyarthi on Monday, March 6 began the NTV prime time news bulletin by expressing concerns regarding Cheruiyot's remarks deemed a threat to press freedoms.

The Senator had earlier expressed President William Ruto's confidence in crushing the cartels in Kenya but feared that he might struggle with two he termed as extremely powerful; the Kenyan banks and the Kenyan media.

"President Willian Samoei Ruto will succeed in crushing every cartel in the country save for two that are extremely powerful. One is Kenyan Banks and the second is Kenyan Media. Both are very powerful, and influential, and synergise so well to protect each other's interests. For the public good, a way must be found," Cheruiyot tweeted.

Kericho Senator Aaron Cheruiyot during a past media briefing. /CAPITAL GROUP

Vidyarthi however took offense with his remarks, noting that by urging the President to crush the media, the lawmaker meant to delegitimise and damage the trust in the media amongst members of the public.

“We choose to understand the word crushing on its plain meaning which is compressing or squeezing something forcefully to break, damage or distort its shape.

“If crushing things is a government policy, then there is surely no shortage of things to crush like the high cost of living, high fuel prices, the price of unga, the free fall of the shilling. That would be a good place to start,” the news anchor stated.

The journalist went on to remind Cheruiyot about how the media is protected in the country as provided for in the Constitution of Kenya, and how the same provisions also advocate for media freedoms.

She further reminded the Senator about the Media Complaints Commission as a place where he can voice his concerns and which is an institution created to address complaints regarding the media.

“As a lawmaker, Cheruiyot ought to know that the media is not just a business. It is directly linked to the canal of a democratic society in its plurality and totality," she added.

She noted however that this was not an isolated incident, referring to scenarios whereby “Deputy president Rigathi Gachagua has never hidden his impatience with the media that he saw as an inconvenience rather than a legitimate player in Kenya's democratisation journey.”

Vidyarthi thus called on President Ruto to distance himself from the remarks, adding that he would otherwise seem to agree with the remarks which have the potential of taking away the country's freedom of expression.

"Right now he would do well to come out and unequivocally disown these statements. For as long as he remains silent, so long will these doubts linger and so long will this misguided mindset continue to find a place in the government and the country at large,” the news presenter added. 

The Senator was however defiant despite the plaudits Vidyarthi received as he termed the NTV bulletin opener less credible, given that the media took his remarks and twisted them to silence their critics.

“So powerful are the cartels in our media houses that when I called them out today, NTV dedicated over 10 mins of prime time twisting on it. Ethical media practice died in Kenya and we must fight to restore it,” Cheruiyot stated.

The Kenya Editors Guild also termed Cheruiyot's remarks as reckless and an onslaught to the media saying it seeks to limit media freedom by profiling a key pillar of Kenya's democracy and lead a lynch mob to try and cripple it.

Our message to the Kenya Kwanza administration that has more than once expressed its disdain for the media with the latest being what we see as a direct threat by Kericho Senator Aaron Cheruiyot.
pic.twitter.com/mKh05OEjxy — Oliver Mathenge (@OliverMathenge) March 6, 2023