KTN Apologizes To President Kiir Over ‘Drunk’ Remark Made On Air

KTN news channel has apologized to President Salva Kiir Mayardit after exiled activists and economist Peter Biar Ajak made remarks in one of its programs accusing Kiir of being ‘drunk’ while in Kenya.

During the program, Dr. Biar alleged that President Salva Kiir could not address mourners in Kenya last week due to a “hangover”.

Kiir traveled to Nairobi on April 28 where he joined others to mourn former Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki’s funeral prayers.

But he was unable to address the gathering due to a throat issue and he delegated his Cabinet Minister Dr. Martin Ellia Lomoro to speak on his behalf.

The statements sparked outrage in South Sudan with the Kenyan ambassador to South Sudan being summoned and a letter of protest being handed over to the Kenyan ministry of foreign affairs.

In a statement, the KTN apologized to Kiir and the government and proposed an air-time for him on the same program where the remarks where broadcasted.

“Sir, on behalf of the Standard Group PLC management and employees, I take this early opportunity to sincerely apologize to you personally for the agony and anguish our mistake has caused you, the government and the people of South Sudan,” the apology letter signed by KTN editor-in-chief, Ochieng Rapuro party reads.

“We proposed to offer an official retraction to you on air this Wednesday morning when the weekly programme in which the mistake was made will run. Further, we are taking substantive internal measures to ensure such as incident doesn’t happen again,” it added.

Kiir who has been mentioned by American based war crimes investigative agency The Sentry as a profiteer of the endless war in South Sudan is not a visitor in Nairobi as his family is said to be residing in the city.

Manyani East Road – Kiir family residence – about a quarter mile after the entrance to a gated community within Lavington—one of Nairobi’s most upscale neighborhoods—is a well-guarded compound, lined with a 10-to-12-foot cinderblock fence topped with two additional feet of taut, high-voltage wiring.