Trade and Investment Cabinet Secretary threatened that any government official who places an advertisement on the Nation Media Group risks losing their jobs.
CS Kuria spoke during a church service on Sunday, June 18 when he joined members of the Akorino Church in Embu county.
“I’ll finish by telling the media that Nation Media Group should declare whether they are a publisher, broadcaster, media house or an opposition party.
“I have declared that from today, any government department that will put any advertisement on Nation Media Group, should be sent home,” Kuria said.
The Cabinet Secretary’s attack on the media house escalated on Twitter when Kuria turned to unprintable insults and added “You can still advertise auctioneers and funeral announcements. We will not stop those.”
CS Kuria’s remarks caused a storm on Twitter forcing him to turn off the comment section.
Edible oils scandal
The Cabinet Secretary’s displeasure with NMG came hours after the media house ran a story in which he was implicated in an Sh6 billion edible oil deal that was birthed during President William Ruto's first Cabinet meeting
An investigation by NMG alleged that private firms associated with senior leaders in Ruto’s government were single-sourced to procure oil for the Kenya National Trading Corporation (KNTC) in a deal that could see taxpayers lose at least Sh6 billion.
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The firms imported the oil tax-free and then sold it to the government agency at a higher price, with taxpayers potentially losing another Sh10 billion in unlawful tax exemptions related to oil imports.
The National Treasury and Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) are said to have applied the wrong provisions of the law to approve the imports, and KRA wrongly used a notice in the Kenya Gazette to clear the imported oil.
The import plan would generate nearly $76 million (Sh10 billion) waiver in taxes that the government granted to KNTC.