Save us from Kuria's loose tongue, media practitioners now tell Ruto

Leading the chorus of condemnation was the industry regulator, the Media Council of Kenya. The council took great exception to his remarks, describing the attacks and profiling of journalists "a big threat to independent and free media".

But perhaps more poignant was the council's recognition of Kuria's attacks as "the most extreme, since independence that individuals have pushed media and government relations to the brink and lowered the country's dignity."

"The conduct of the Cabinet Secretary falls below the threshold as set out in Chapter Six of the Kenyan Constitution for state officers as well as Article 34 on media freedom since they amount to profiling and targeting of specific journalists working for a media house," MCK CEO David Omwoyo said.

Kenya Editors' Guild President Zubeidah Kananu described Kuria's remarks as "unwarranted, uncalled for, and totally off-the-mark."

Kananu said Kuria's statements had backpedalled the gains made in government-media relations. Kananu said Kuria's insults were "the highest form of insult to media professionals" and demanded unconditional apology from the CS.

"Kuria's remarks have taken us back nearly 30 years ago when the late Mulu Mutisya, a one-party dictatorship zealot, described journalists in similar terms. Kuria must have slept through the revolution," she added.

But if MCK and the Guild were being modest, Kenya Union of Journalists bared its fangs against the CS. Through its Secretary General Eric Oduor, the union described Kuria as a symbol of national shame, reminding him that he was now a CS.

Media Council of Kenya Secretary General Eric Oduor. [File, Standard]

Later in the evening, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission issued an advisory to public institutions and public officials on procurement of goods and services. The advisory was tailored as a warning against heeding to Kuria's threats.

'The constitution in Article 227 requires that public procurement be carried out in a system that is fair, equitable, transparent, competitive and cost-effective. Consequently, no person can, lawfully, be denied an opportunity to participate in any public procurement except as may be authorized under the law," EACC CEO Twalib Mbarak said.

EACC also warned that no state officer should be victimized on account of his lawful dealing relating to award of tenders. Mbarak issued a general call on all public officers to adhere to requirements of Chapter Six of the Constitution and Leadership and Integrity Act, 2012.

Kuria's outburst was not an isolated one. For the most part, Kuria is a combative and controversial individual in his own right. A leader more famous for his gaffes than positive contribution to national development and cohesion, he has been in the news for all the wrong reasons.

In July 2015, for instance, Kuria walked out of a live television debate when pressed to give his side of the story on allegations that he incited youth to violence.

In November last year, Kuria shocked Kenyans with the manner and choice of words with which he defended the importation of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).