This archive report was first published on 11 August 2019.
On Saturday, Deputy President William Ruto attended the wedding celebration of human rights activist Amos Olempaka in Baringo County. The event took place on August 11, 2019.
During his speech, Ruto paused to address a pressing issue: the presence of too many journalists. He ordered them to move, so that the crowd at the back could follow the proceedings.
‘You members of the press have become too many. Some of you should move so that people at the back can follow the proceedings,’ Ruto said. He also instructed the journalists to push back, so that the people behind them could see.
‘I came here to address the public, not you-journalist,’ Ruto ordered, leaving the crowd amused. The journalists were eventually ordered to move by security officials, amidst public cheers.
This incident comes at a time when Members of Parliament have proposed a motion to restrict journalists from accessing the Assembly, citing the spread of lies and propaganda by the media.
