Joy Mdivo Goes After Standard Over Exposé On Plot To Infiltrate June 25 Protests
While she wasn't directly named as playing a role in orchestrating the infiltration of goons during the planned June 25 protests, one of her messages appeared in the leaked WhatsApp group where the alleged plans were being discussed.
Marvin Chege 
Kenya Power Board Chairperson Joy Mdivo has threatened legal action against the Standard Group after being listed among top government officials allegedly involved in a WhatsApp group planning how to suppress the upcoming June 25 protests.
Posting on X just hours after The Standard ran the story in its June 24 edition—featuring the controversial WhatsApp messages on the front page—Mdivo stated she had already consulted her lawyers about the matter.
"I belong to no such WhatsApp group, nor have I made such utterances in public or in private. For The Standard to insinuate that I am planning to kill Kenyans is as untrue as it is defamatory. My lawyers have their instructions," she wrote.
While she wasn't directly named as playing a role in orchestrating the infiltration of goons during the planned June 25 protests, one of her messages appeared in the leaked WhatsApp group where the alleged plans were being discussed.
Kenya Power Board Chairperson Joy Mdivo during vetting for the position of IEBC chairperson. /FILE
A specific screenshot linked to her showed her suggesting that the narrative on “propaganda media” should continue as a way to undermine media outlets in the country.
"By the way, that tagline of genocide media is really pinching them," one read, followed by another, "inawauma sana (It angers them so much)." She allegedly added, "That tagline has to go on all the propaganda posters against Citizen."
In addition to serving as a board chair, she is also a High Court advocate, a human rights activist, and was previously shortlisted as a potential replacement for the late IEBC chairperson, Wafula Chebukati.
Earlier on Tuesday, June 24, Dennis Itumbi, Digital Strategist and Head of Creative Economy at the Office of President William Ruto, lashed out at the newspaper, terming it a mockery of what journalism and the newsroom are supposed to be in Kenya.
“Journalism is the pursuit of truth; anything less is gossip. For some newspapers like The Standard, that line isn’t blurred. It’s been buried,” Itumbi stated, adding, “Their editorial mantra is not about facts. It’s about fabrication. This is not a tabloid, or even gutter press; it is an insult to the very idea of journalism."
In its exposé, The Standard outlined an alleged plot by the government—reportedly sanctioned by State House—to sabotage the June 25 protests through tactics like deploying goons and spreading digital propaganda.
The publication exposed WhatsApp messages said to originate from groups involving government bloggers, United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Secretariat members, parastatal heads, and other officials, detailing coordinated plans to disrupt the demonstrations.
The report further claimed that the operation involved a wide network, including senior State House staff, MPs, MCAs, and local mobilisers from Nairobi’s informal settlements. It also alleged that the National Police Service (NPS) was aware of the plot, despite previously pledging to protect peaceful protesters.
A key part of the plan, according to The Standard, was to unleash hired thugs to incite violence—particularly targeting women to instil fear—and to steal phones to prevent protest documentation.
During the June 17 protests held in memory of Albert Ojwang, stick-wielding goons infiltrated the crowd, attacking civilians and looting shops. Police were reportedly present but did nothing to stop the chaos, raising suspicions of complicity. However, certain groups stepped in to restore order, confronting the goons directly—some of whom left the protests with serious injuries, including broken limbs and head wounds.
The upcoming June 25 protests are being organised to honour Gen Z individuals who died during last year’s anti-Finance Bill demonstrations. The movement is being led by the victims’ families alongside prominent activists.
While the main demonstrations are expected to unfold in Nairobi’s Central Business District, reports suggest that similar protests could spread to other regions across the country.
