Revealed: How two MPs, goons set up plot to attack Standard Group

Hired demonstrators at Standard Group offices along Mombasa Road on October 2, 2026. [Maxwell Agwanda, Standard]

A damning Citizen TV investigation has lifted the lid on what appears to be a State-orchestrated plot to silence the press, revealing how two pro-government legislators bankrolled the October 2, 2026 siege on Standard Group headquarters.

It emerged that this was done by hiring a crowd of nearly 100 demonstrators at a paltry Sh400 per head.

The explosive exposé by journalist Francis Ode strips away the facade of grassroots anger to expose a transactional operation where loyalty was rented by the hour and patriotism was priced per head.

The investigation directly links two legislators, one representing a Nairobi constituency and another from the Rift Valley region, to the financing of the chaotic demonstration that brought the country's oldest media house under physical attack.

The findings come at a time of escalating hostility against the Standard Group, with President William Ruto taking to social media in June to brand the media house an "extortionist propaganda" outlet, and allied lawmakers this week calling for its complete closure during the opening of the Fifth Session of the 13th Parliament.

According to the investigative report, the storming of the Mombasa Road media house was not the result of a sudden outcry over editorial bias. Instead, it was the culmination of logistical planning that began in late September.

Ode's investigation traced the origins of the protest to a clandestine meeting of eleven individuals operating under the banner "Tutam."

Photo evidence obtained by Citizen TV places 10 of these alleged masterminds at a gathering at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) just days before the protest.

This was followed by a tactical briefing on October 1 at the Jimlizer Hotel in Buruburu, where a figure identified as "Planner 12" confirmed that the necessary financial resources had been secured to push the operation forward.

The Standard can independently confirm that the lead mobilisers received over Sh400,000 to facilitate the logistics of the attack.

According to the investigation, this money was allegedly provided by the two pro-government legislators.

The funds were used to hire a crowd of nearly 100 men who were bussed in from various neighbourhoods, including Umoja, Kamukunji, Bellevue, and Ngong Road, to converge on the Standard Group premises by 10:00 am.

The operation was not cheap; it was a payroll operation with varying rates for different participants.

The Standard is in possession of a recording where one ringleader, Sally Achieng Raghet, was lamenting about being paid peanuts for the protests, yet she was the public face of the protests.

"I can't believe you only paid me Sh5,000 for all the work I did. I paid for security out of my own pocket. Next time we are going there, I want to be part of the planning. I won't just execute your plans. I only got paid Sh5000," laments Achieng.

The faces behind the protests are Galgalo, Moses Gazemba and Sally Raghet.

Gazemba presents himself on social media as a man of confidence and standing. The married Christian but unemployed teacher from Lugari, Mautuma, Kisangula Village, who proudly posts pictures posed in a sharp blue suit, a red pocket square, and a gold watch, projects an image of a man firmly in control.

However, this polished digital facade sharply contrasts with the chaotic reality that unfolded on the streets of Nairobi.

The operation was not a spontaneous uprising but a coordinated effort linked to a broader political machinery.

Nicholas Kiplagat Galgalo, described as an errand boy and briefcase carrier for UDA-affiliated politicians, played a role in the ground game.

At the centre of the agitation was Sally Achieng Raghet, a wines and spirits shop owner in Mombasa and a key face in the attack.

She is identified as a member of YURO, Youth for Ruto 2027, a youth movement formed in June 2025 to support President William Ruto's re-election bid.

The movement, also known as YR27, declared "unwavering support" for Ruto while denouncing "rising acts of violence and anarchy." Its official launch was announced for June 25, 2025, at Nyayo Stadium.

YURO positioned itself as a counterweight to opposition mobilisation, with activists like Kasamuel McOure leading efforts to rally young people behind Ruto's broad-based government ahead of the 2027 General Election.

The Standard can confirm that as Sally Achieng Raghet was mouthing off to the hired crowd of demonstrators, Gazemba, an unemployed teacher, was busy dishing out money to the participants. He was handing each demonstrator a mere Sh400, buying their presence for the day's protests.

The situation quickly spiralled out of control. As captured by cameras, the demonstrators crowded around Gazemba, aggressively demanding more money for their troubles.

Citizen TV exposes an alleged paid plot to storm Standard Group offices. [Patrick Vidija, Standard]

Realising he was losing his grip on the mob he had assembled, Gazemba abruptly hopped onto a police Land Cruiser and sped off, abandoning the very crowd he had hired.

His sudden departure left many demonstrators stranded, without the means to return from the holes they had crawled out of.

The frustration was particularly acute among the women in the crowd, who were recorded complaining about the meagre Sh400 they had received for their roles in the demonstration.

The Standard observed him attempt to flee on a motorbike before he was accosted by the members but jumped in a police vehicle nearby and sped off, leaving many decrying of being duped. It is then that they began spilling the beans.

"I came all the way from Westlands. Imagine!" one woman was heard lamenting. Amidst bickering among them, another was recorded saying: "I used close to Sh200 to come here. How will I get back?"

For some, they were not even aware of the "task" they had been called to attend to and the cost.

"Personally, I was called last night that there were some maandamano. I didn't know we were to come here. I was not even told how much I was to be paid," a middle-aged stranded woman narrated.

Others who said they were paid complained of receiving less than was adequate to pay their transport back. They came from as far as Kibra, Dandora, Kangemi and Mathare, among other places.

"Others have received a thousand each, yet we are being given Sh400. Imagine only Sh400, yet I came with Sh200 and will go back with the same. What kind of business is that?" one of them who resides in Kibra complained.

Some mentioned a lady called Cynthia as the distributor of the funds. One claimed Cynthia did not declare the payment, while others insisted she distributed money.

"When I arrived here I got hold of some women and they were recording names and I asked Cynthia 'watatupanga aje', and she said 'mshapangwa na Galgalo' nikauliza aje, akasema kila mtu amepewa Sh400, nikamuuliza aje na nimekuja na Sh200?"

The investigation also uncovered a sophisticated digital component to the operation. A conspicuous microphone branded "KDN" was used to broadcast the protest, which Citizen TV traced to an online platform run by Philip Toroitich, alias Toro.

Toro is identified as the head of Tutam's digital team. The investigation found that his platform was far from an independent media outlet; it served as the exclusive propaganda arm of the operation, amplifying a single political faction's narrative and providing a veneer of legitimacy to the paid demonstration.

A Broader Pattern of Intimidation

The October 2 confrontation was the culmination of weeks of escalating tension. What began as online criticism had hardened into a physical siege, with rival camps clashing over the media house's coverage of President William Ruto's administration.

Days before the protest, a group identifying itself as Bunge la Mwananchi announced plans to mobilise thousands of people to demonstrate at Standard Group over what it called "negative and critical headlines targeting the government."

The group accused The Standard and KTN News of persistently publishing content critical of President Ruto, with some members alleging that former Baringo senator Gideon Moi had influenced the media house's editorial coverage.

In a video circulating online, a group member issued a direct warning: "Many people have warned you for a very long time that you ought to change, but every day, you write inflammatory statements and useless things. We as youths, we are going to surprise you."

The attack did not emerge in isolation. It followed a public dispute between President Ruto and Standard Group that gained prominence in June when Ruto criticised the media house's headlines on X, accusing it of publishing "extortionist propaganda" against him and his administration.

"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!" a clearly displeased Ruto wrote.

He added: "BLACKMAIL to yield to your GREED? NEVER. Kenya belongs to all Kenyans, not you alone. Jaribu 8 days a week. Do your WORST!"

Standard Group CEO Chaacha Mwita defended the media house's editorial independence, maintaining it would continue to scrutinise those in power.

"He is the country's leader and when he fails, Kenya fails. But The Standard will not cheer on failure; we will instead point it out," Mwita said.

The tensions coincided with incidents involving Standard Group Associate Editor Alex Kiprotich. On June 27, Kiprotich reportedly escaped an attempt by armed men to seize him in Nakuru.

In September, he was abducted for several hours after armed men intercepted his vehicle along the Gilgil-Nakuru road.

He was later found safe near Masinga Dam. Authorities have yet to arrest anybody involved in the abduction or provide answers, even as they claim investigations into the matter remain alive.

The threats come against the backdrop of increasingly public attacks on the Standard Group, with criticism by broad-based government-allied lawmakers this week during the opening of the Fifth Session of the 13th Parliament being the latest instance.

Endebess MP Robert Pukose initiated the fire on The Standard and KTN when he made a personal statement on the floor of the House on Tuesday.

The MPs castigated the two SG editorial platforms, accusing them of what they described as "irresponsible and misleading" reporting.

This follows an exposé by The Standard and KTN on alleged irregular registration of Ugandan nationals as Kenyan voters at the Suam border in Trans Nzoia County.

Some legislators called for tougher action against the media, including possible restrictions on media freedom and even closure of the Standard Group.

"For Standard, we should even ban it completely. We don't need that. We don't need such a media in the country," said Homa Bay Town MP Opondo Kaluma.

According to Tony Gachoka, a veteran journalist, the harassment and intimidation of Standard Group offend Article 34 of the Constitution, which protects the freedom of the press.

"This is regressive, barbaric and ancient. We condemn a government that cannot be held to account," he said outside SG offices along Mombasa Road when he came to stand in solidarity with the media house.

He urged the Ruto regime not to drive the country back to the era when journalists were being attacked, blackmailed and injured, noting that it took hard-fought reforms to achieve the freedoms Kenyans enjoy today.

Lawyer Abel Nabutola observed: "Today the target may be The Standard. Tomorrow it could be Nation, Citizen, an independent digital platform or an individual journalist.

Kenya must therefore draw a clear democratic line: protest peacefully if you disagree with journalism, challenge falsehoods with evidence and use lawful accountability mechanisms but keep political intimidation away from newsrooms."

The Group has maintained that it will not bow to intimidation, saying: "Whoever is adversely impacted by any action against Standard Group might be your daughter, son, niece, nephew, mother, father, sister, brother or some other dear relative or friend you are unaware of at the point of 'occupation.' Beware."

Perhaps most alarming is the warning embedded in Ode's report: the same masterminds are allegedly planning another march on the Standard Group offices on October 23, 2026.

"The investigation serves as a warning that the threat to media freedom in Kenya is not always organic anger; it is increasingly a manufactured, monetised, and politically directed weapon," says Nabutola, adding.

"The events of October 2, 2026, represent a dangerous escalation in Kenya's media freedom landscape. A youth movement aligned with the ruling administration, YURO, with members like Sally Raghet, combined with a civil society group claiming to represent "the people", Bunge la Mwananchi, physically confronted a media house over headlines it found uncomfortable. The confrontation raised fundamental questions about whether political mobilisation against newsrooms had become normalised in Kenya's democracy.