The Sun Weekly

The Irony of Presidential Sympathy
By Our Editorial Team

President Ruto's recent attack on Standard Media Group over unpaid workers is a charge dripping with irony. A president whose government has systematically weaponized state advertising to punish critical media houses now poses as a defender of journalists' welfare.

When this administration took office, it expected media houses to worship at State House's altar. Those that refused were starved of government advertising—a political tap opened for friendly outlets and closed for independent voices. The Star secured lucrative GAA deals precisely because it became useful to the regime, yet even that money reportedly passes through hungry State House cartels before reaching journalists.

The public has noticed. The Star's credibility has suffered as Kenyans increasingly see it as a regime mouthpiece that traded trust for access.

President Ruto cannot credibly champion media workers' rights while his government is complicit in the suffering of those employees. This is not activism—it is a president mocking people already victimized by a system he helped weaponize.

Kenya Gov't Officials Cashes In on School Fire Crisis, Demands Bribes for Safety Checks

NAIROBI, Kenya – Just days after devastating school fires sent children to hospitals and grieving families into despair, the Ministry of Education has unveiled its "emergency response": demanding boarding schools pay thousands of shillings per officer just to be inspected!

Sources reveal that schools are being asked to cough up between KSh 5,000 and 10,000 per officer – with a mandatory minimum of two officers per inspection. That means schools must shell out up to KSh 20,000 for the "privilege" of being told whether their dormitories are safe for our children.

Making hay while the sun shines? More like making money while children burn.

Parents are furious. "You mean the government cannot inspect schools without squeezing desperate principals?" fumed one father. "These are public safety checks, not VIP concierge services!"

Teachers and school managers – already stretched thin – are being forced to choose between paying up or facing delays that could cost lives. Meanwhile, the Ministry has offered no budget, no accountability, and no explanation for why taxpayers' money isn't already funding these life-saving inspections.

This isn't just a scandal. It's a betrayal.

Every day of delay, every shilling shaken from a school, puts more students at risk. If the Ministry can't conduct safety checks without turning them into a shakedown, then Kenyans must ask: whose children are they really protecting?