A few minutes after midnight on March 2, 2006, masked men stormed the offices of The Standard Group and went on to torch all the newspapers set for distribution the following morning. This raid has always been filled with intrigues over who ordered it – and why.
But over 15 years after the death of John Michuki, who had sworn that Kenyans would never know why the government raided The Standard Group in 2006, Narc Kenya Party leader Martha Karua has spilled the beans in her new book.
Kenyans.co.ke has secured an exclusive copy of the soon-to-be-released book ‘Against the Tide: My Journey on a Less Trodden Path’. The memoir unveils several revelations, including her tenure as the Minister for Justice from 2005 to 2009 and her two decades in Parliament. However, today’s spotlight is on her account of the raid on one of Kenya’s oldest newspapers, The Standard.
After midnight on March 2, 2006, armed and hooded individuals stormed the company’s offices at I&M Bank Towers in Nairobi, as well as its printing press on Likoni Road.
A file image of the late John Michuki, a one time powerful minister incharge of Interior Security
The Standard
The attackers, later identified as police officers, switched off the lights and CCTV camera and went on to destroy broadcasting equipment, forcing KTN off the air. They also seized equipment and detained, harassed, and threatened the journalists on duty.
In her book, Karua revealed that she woke up to the news that the media house had been raided by hooded people suspected to be police officers and immediately called the then Minister for Security.
“It was after 6 am, and I was getting ready to go to the office. I immediately called the then-Minister for Internal Security, the late John Michuki, and asked him directly if the police were responsible,” Karua writes.
“His response about the raid being a “security matter” left no doubt in my mind that indeed, the raiders were security agents,” Karua recounted in her book.
The intruders burnt newspapers that had just been rolled off at the printing press located along Likoni Road at that time, they also raided Nairobi’s CBD.
According to Martha Karua, the police raided the media house for allegedly interfering with security matters. The media house had been accused of publishing stories seen as damaging to the government and/or high-ranking officials.
“It later turned out that the security matter was fear of publication of stories seen as damaging to the government and/or high-ranking officials, hardly a justification for such an attack on the press,” Martha Karua, who is also a lawyer, opines.
She was serving in the Justice docket then and had to inquire why the raid happened.
“My main task was, among other things, to coordinate efforts to keep the government on course in upholding the rule of law, respect for human rights, and articulating policy in the fight against corruption,” Karua asserted.
Karua revealed that the raid was a setback to her efforts towards her tasks and goal. She then met with Michuki, who stood his ground that the raid was necessary.
“The meeting in Michuki’s office was stormy. He stood his ground that the raid was necessary, but the reasons offered were not convincing. We agreed to disagree on the matter,” Karua revealed.
Before his death and while serving as the Environment Minister, Michuki had sworn that Kenyans would never know why the media house was raided for the National Security.
“There’s no obligation on the Government or its agencies to give reasons why it conducted the raid on the Standard and KTN on national interest,” Michuki said then.
The book is set to be launched on Sunday, November 17, 2024.
Against the Tide: My Journey on a Less Trodden Path, Martha Karua’s Memoir, November 12, 2024.
Photo
Martha Karua
