'Gangsterism!' Ruto renews attack on Gideon Moi over unpaid salaries at Standard Group

In a fresh blitz, the President hammered hard on the Gideon Moi empire, calling him a 'billionaire' and accusing him of hiding behind financial difficulties, while workers continued to report to work despite delayed salaries.

He also accused Moi of eroding the integrity of journalism that The Standard once held by running the explosive headlines against his government.

In his usual style, Ruto deployed fiery missiles but still got caught up in the now-alarming grammatical mess, typing words and sentences that do not conform to the structural rules and accepted syntax of language, randomly placing colons, full stops, capital letters and spacings allover the tweet.

He wrote: "Bro,the BILLIONAIRE you are;HIDING behind 'debts';forcing many months' UNPAID labour slaving to defend your STANDARD headlines extortion GANGSTERISM driven by GREED; is HEARTLESS to loyal workers,  INSULT to journalism and BETRAYAL to free media that STANDARD once belonged."

The President's fresh attack on the KANU Chairman and the Standard Group, accusing the media house of running a sustained campaign, follows discrediting reports on his administration. 

Directly addressing Gideon Moi, whose family is associated with the ownership and control of Standard Group PLC, Ruto argues that the media house has been painting a negative image of his governance.

According to Ruto, the Standard Group has, over the years, been scrutinizing the Kenya Kwanza administration, including its governance, taxation, public spending, and unfulfilled campaign promises.

In response to the president’s allegation of inappropriate reporting, the Standard Group defended its editorial independence.

The media house further affirmed that it would continue reporting on matters of public interest, including governance and leadership issues. 

It emphasized that it does not take instructions from any individual or office.

Further, the company raised concerns about the unpaid government debt, citing that the State owes the company KSh1.2 billion, which has led to operational lag.

The media company further highlighted the livelihoods of the company's employees and called on the government to match its rhetoric with action.

"The Standard employs Kenyans who work hard and deserve the opportunity to earn from their labour. Their livelihoods matter. Indeed, to use your words again, 'Kenya belongs to all Kenyans,' Mr. President. The true test is to show that aspiration through action, not merely words," it stated.

In addition, Standard Group clarified that following the criticism from the president and unmet financial demand, the company would hold the government responsible for any damages and harm to the company and its staff.

Ruto's unusual style of combative tweets, which is a  clear detour from his usually professional tweets drafted by his communications team, has raised eyebrows with Kenyans now wondering what has suddenly informed the President's decision to personally launch digital warfare and what this means in the grand scheme of things.

Some have noted that Ruto may be borrowing a leaf from US President Donald Trump who has become globally notorious for launching a barrage of unfiltered ammunition against his foes and detractors and using expletives, effectively bypassing the manners and decorum expected of the presidency.