‘Bold Extortion Gangsterism’ President Ruto Unleashes Fresh Attack on Standard Media

President William Ruto has this morning escalated his war of words with the Standard Media Group, launching a fresh attack on the media house just minutes ago on X (formerly Twitter).

In a post shared, the President directly addressed the media house’s ownership, accusing it of hiding behind financial debts while allegedly forcing its workers into months of unpaid labour. He characterised the newspaper’s editorial direction as “bold extortion gangsterism” driven by greed.

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

The Head of State’s remarks come just one day after he issued a separate attack on Gideon Moi, the former Baringo Senator and KANU Chairman, whose family holds significant interests in the Standard Group.

In a post dated June 24, 2026, the President had earlier taken direct aim at Moi, dismissing the newspaper’s coverage as a five-day-a-week blackmail scheme designed to pressure his government into submission.

“GMOI, your STANDARD media’s 5 days a week EXTORTIONIST propaganda HEADLINES on me & my administration’s transformative track record will get you NOTHING & NOWHERE. BLACKMAIL to yield to your GREED? NEVER. Kenya belongs to all Kenyans, not you alone. Jaribu 8 days a week. Do your WORST.”

Following yesterday’s post, the Standard Media Group published a full-page advertisement in its Thursday edition, turning the President’s own words into a marketing triumph. The ad featured a carefully curated image of President Ruto reading a copy of the newspaper, accompanied by the caption: “Even the President reads The Standard.”

In a direct retort to Ruto’s challenge to “try 8 days a week,” the newspaper announced: “Due to overwhelming demand, we are printing The Standard eight days a week!” The tagline concluded with the playful remark: “Orders from above LOL.”

The advertisement has since gone viral, earning thousands of likes, retweets, and comments across social media platforms. The Standard has not yet responded to the President’s latest post this morning.