President Ruto Dispels Reports on Plans to Shut Down Mainstream Media and Internet

President Ruto has dispelled reports of an alleged plan by the government to shut down the mainstream media and the internet ahead of Monday’s protests by the opposition.

Addressing the nation from State House, Nairobi on Sunday, Ruto assured the country that there are no such plans, adding that the “era of switching off the media is way behind us.”

“Just for the record, take it from me, Kenya has come a long way, the era of switching off this or that is way behind us,” he noted.

While admitting that the media has placed him in a difficult position, Ruto said media freedom will be guaranteed under his administration.

“We will support the right of the media to carry out their functions. You have our absolute support irrespective of how biased against us,” Ruto said.

"If we exchange positions, if you stand where I'm standing you guys would have switched off the media… but us we will not," he added.

Ruto spoke hours after media stakeholders claimed there was a plan to shut down the broadcast media and the internet ahead of tomorrow’s demonstrations. 

In a press briefing on Sunday, Kenya Editors Guild (KEG) president Churchill Otieno said they had received reports of the alleged plot to plunge the nation into "information darkness".

"We have received reports of plans to shut down the broadcast media and the internet and throw the country into information darkness ahead of tomorrow's demonstrations,” Otieno said on behalf of Kenya Media Sector Working Group.

"This will be the most ill-advised assault on Kenyan democracy because it denies the public their right to information.”