By Wamuzi News Ke Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei has condemned Nation Media Group (NMG) over what he calls a misleading headline in the Sunday Nation’s March 16 edition, accusing the outlet of misquoting former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
Taking to social media, Cherargei dismissed the headline, “Raila: I saved Ruto from military coup,” as both deceptive and damaging to Odinga’s reputation and the integrity of Kenya’s military.
He accused NMG of biased reporting, urging the media house to issue an apology to the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF). Additionally, he called on Odinga to demand a retraction or pursue legal action over the alleged misrepresentation.
“Nation Media is either distorting facts or deliberately misquoting Raila Odinga regarding an alleged military coup against President Ruto’s administration,” Cherargei stated.
He further defended the KDF, emphasizing that the military is a professional, non-partisan institution that does not engage in politics. According to him, linking them to political schemes is both reckless and malicious.
Cherargei urged government critics to find other ways to express their concerns without dragging the military into political debates.
The controversy stems from an interview in which Odinga claimed to have intervened to prevent President William Ruto from deploying the military during the Gen Z protests in June 2024.
Odinga alleged that a close ally had tipped him off about Ruto’s plan to use the KDF to suppress the protests, which had escalated to an invasion of Parliament.
He stated that he warned Ruto against deploying soldiers, arguing that once the military is on the streets, a forceful transfer of power or coup could follow.
“Ruto can be removed through the ballot, but once soldiers are deployed, they don’t return,” Odinga told NMG.