Editors condemn withdrawal of adverts from Standard Group

The Kenya Editors’ Guild has strongly condemned the recent directive by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of ICT & Digital Economy to withdraw government advertising from Standard Group PLC, citing serious concerns over press freedom and media independence.

In a press statement, the Guild emphasized that government advertising is not a privilege but a public service that should be allocated transparently and fairly. 

"This is the third such directive issued by the same government official, raising alarms over the state’s commitment to upholding constitutional values, including the right to a free press as enshrined in Kenya’s Bill of Rights," the statement read in part.

It warned against the use of taxpayer funds as a tool to suppress independent journalism or influence editorial decisions.

“Rather than using advertising as a means to control or interfere with editorial independence, the government should engage with the media sector to address the real challenges facing the industry, particularly regarding sustainability,” the Guild stated.

The statement signed by the Guild's President Zubeidah Kananu also noted that any attempts to undermine press freedom, are direct attacks on democracy itself.

The Guild also called on the Ministry of ICT & Digital Economy to rescind its directive and engage in a constructive dialogue on sustaining and safeguarding the independence of Kenya’s media industry.

“Kenya is a democratic nation, and the media, as the Fourth Estate, deserves respect and support—not intimidation,” the statement concluded.

Former Nairobi Town Clerk Philip Kisia also weighed into the issue calling out the governement for supressing media freedom.

"The Kenya Kwanza government must remember that our freedoms, including press freedom, were won through a tough fight against dictatorship, where people even lost their lives.

This regime is determined to undo those gains, but no amount of intimidation will succeed," he posted on his X account.

On Monday, the government, through Broadcasting Principal Secretary (PS) Edward Kisiang’ani, canceled Standard Group’s media contract with the Ministry of Irrigation due to its critical coverage.