As the war between President William Ruto and The Standard newspaper continues to dominate public conversation, Kenyans have been picking sides, and one man has made his allegiance very clear through his wallet.
Ndegwa Njiru has come out publicly in a show of solidarity with The Standard, revealing that he buys 20 copies of the newspaper every single day from different vendors. He said he does this out of love for the publication and what it stands for.
Njiru framed his daily purchases as a personal statement, urging Kenyans to buy The Standard as a way of keeping the paper alive and standing firm in the face of pressure from the presidency. His message was simple and direct, buy Standard, keep Standard.
He praised the publication for maintaining its editorial standards despite the heat coming from State House, saying he loves The Standard for keeping standard, a play on both the newspaper’s name and its reputation for bold reporting.
His remarks come after Ruto publicly accused The Standard of running extortionist propaganda headlines against him five days a week, a broadside that triggered a wave of public debate about press freedom in Kenya. Rather than backing down, The Standard responded with a cheeky viral campaign, and support from the public has been pouring in since.
K24 also sent the president an open letter defending press freedom, while senior counsel Ahmednasir Abdullahi sided with Ruto, making explosive allegations about the origins of the newspaper’s ownership.
Njiru’s gesture, though personal, reflects a broader mood among Kenyans who see the attacks on The Standard as an attack on media freedom itself.