Nairobi –
As Kenya grapples with some of the largest anti-government protests in its recent history, a new front has opened – this time between the state and the press.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has publicly criticised international media outlets, accusing them of unfair and reckless coverage of the ongoing unrest over the Finance Bill 2025.
Speaking during a press briefing on Wednesday, Murkomen claimed that global news organisations often apply a double standard when reporting on Kenya.
“When these international media houses report about their countries, they filter and sanitise the message,” he said. “But when it comes to us, they report it as it is -with enthusiasm -and it gets applause in the West.”
He singled out Kenyan journalists working for foreign media platforms like BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera and Deutsche Welle, saying some of them had crossed the line from reporting to inciting unrest.
“They are no longer just journalists,” Murkomen said. “They have become part of the mobilization, pushing young people into the streets and giving the protests a global platform.”
The remarks follow a government decision to temporarily switch off live TV broadcasts from local stations, including KTN, NTV, and K24 -a move condemned by civil society groups and media watchdogs as an attack on press freedom.
Murkomen defended the blackout, arguing it was necessary to prevent a repeat of the 2007-08 post-election violence, when live footage was blamed for spreading chaos. “We’ve learned from our past,” he said. “National security must come first.”
The Kenya Editors Guild, however, issued a sharp response, warning that silencing the media could inflame tensions rather than ease them. “Censoring the press does not restore order – it deepens public mistrust,” said Churchill Otieno, the Guild’s president.
Protests, largely driven by Kenya’s youth and dubbed the Gen Z Uprising, have shaken the government since the Finance Bill was tabled. The bill introduces new taxes that many say will only worsen the cost of living. What began as online discontent quickly turned into nationwide street demonstrations, some of them met with force.
Several people have died, with rights groups accusing the police of excessive force. The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) reported multiple cases of abuse, including arbitrary arrests and the use of live bullets.
Meanwhile, international press organisations have remained largely quiet on Murkomen’s accusations. But one senior editor at a foreign bureau, speaking anonymously, called the minister’s remarks “deeply unfortunate” and said journalists on the ground were “simply doing their job.”
Media scholars have warned that blaming the press for unrest can be a dangerous path.
“Governments under pressure often turn to the media as scapegoats,” said Dr Mercy Ndegwa, a lecturer in journalism at the University of Nairobi. “But the real issue is public anger. Reporting on that isn’t the problem -it’s democracy in action.”
As tensions rise, the question remains whether the government’s approach -targeting the press and cracking down on protestors -will calm the country or deepen the divide.
For now, one thing is clear: Kenya’s streets are not the only battleground. The fight for the narrative is just as fierce.
