President Ruto Launches Direct Attack On Gideon Moi And Standard Group

President William Ruto has publicly accused Standard Group owner Gideon Moi of attempting to blackmail his administration through persistent critical media coverage.

In an unusually blunt statement published on his official X (formerly Twitter) account on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, the President claimed that relentless negative headlines would not force the government to yield to what he termed “greed and extortion.”

The post marks one of the most aggressive public confrontations by President Ruto against a mainstream media house since taking office in September 2022.

“Do Your Worst”: The Flashpoint Tweet

Directly naming the former Baringo Senator, President Ruto asserted that the media house’s scrutiny of his administration’s track record would not win any concessions.

“GMoi, your STANDARD media’s 5 days a week EXTORTIONIST propaganda HEADLINES on me & my administration’s transformative track record will get you NOTHING & NOWHERE! BLACKMAIL to yield to your GREED? NEVER. Kenya belongs to all Kenyans, not you alone. Jaribu 8 days a week. Do your WORST!” — President William Ruto via X

Public Reaction and Skepticism

The explosive nature of the post immediately ignited intense public debate online, drawing mixed reactions:

• Security Concerns: Due to the erratic punctuation, unusual spacing, and highly aggressive tone, some users speculated that the Head of State’s social media account might have been compromised.

• Critique of Professionalism: Critics labeled the tweet “unpresidential,” noting that the lack of standard grammatical formatting fell short of the diplomatic professionalism expected from the highest office in the land.

• Signs of Frustration: Others viewed the outburst as a sign of growing executive frustration with the mainstream press.

Context of the Media Feud

The Standard Group—one of Kenya’s oldest and largest media houses—has heavily focused its recent coverage on scrutinizing government policies.

In recent months, the publication has run a series of investigative pieces and hard-hitting headlines regarding:

• Public expenditure and new taxation measures.

• Unfulfilled state promises and governance vulnerabilities.

• Corruption allegations involving high-ranking state officials.

Despite the fierce pushback from State House, the President’s critics have challenged the administration to respect press freedom, maintaining that public institutions remain subject to public scrutiny.