After releasing a statement requesting evidence of the claimed raid on the home of former Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiang’i on February 8, 2023, the Media Council of Kenya (MCK) is being questioned about its legitimacy.
Martha Karua, the leader of the Narc Kenya party, suggested that the council serves as a stand-in for the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), which raises questions about the council’s objectivity as the organization that regulates the media.
The MCK has asked for actual footage shot by news crews at the claimed raid site as well as the names of the editors and reporters who went there.
The lack of images or footage from the claimed raid has alarmed the council, who claims that this creates a difficult moral and ethical situation for the media.
The disputed reports of the alleged raid have caused confusion and controversy in the country.
The DCI and the Inspector General of Police, Japhet Koome, have denied the raid ever happened and accused Matiang’i of stage-managing the whole thing. The former CS’s residence was apparently raided by the police once more on February 15, 2023, raising more questions about the incident.