Ruto tells leaders to read newspapers despite starving them of adverts

The Head of State took offense with the matter, noting that he had raised the issue in all the places he had visited and challenged the leaders to follow it up with the Health Cabinet Secretary.

Ruto also announced that plans were underway to export more labourers abroad and identified Germany where the government had entered into a pact on job opportunities.

"Several counties need over one million workers and we are working on an agreement with the German government for over 250,000 job opportunities by June," he added.

However, Ruto's call for the leaders to read newspapers comes at a time when the government has instructed State agencies to exclude three national newspapers from advertisements, a move some see as a bid to monopolize information.

Kenya Kwanza has singled out The Standard Group PLC (SG), Nation Media Group (NMG) and People Daily from a contract to run My.Gov pull-out, a weekly publication that contains government information, tenders and job opportunities.

Instead, it settled for The Star newspaper, in a contract issued to Convergence Africa Media Limited, a company that is said to have links with the ruling party.