Mining and Blue Economy CS Hassan Joho has hit back at blogger Cyprian Nyakundi, who's taken to maligning him on social media for lashing out at online trolls.
Speaking in Taita Taveta county on Monday, Joho said a country cannot be built on the internet where trolls spend all their time online doing nothing but spew vitrol.
"It cannot be built by people whose work revolves around Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Let me put them on notice, we can also talk. If they bring us trouble, we can also cause them trouble. They're not the only ones with a mouth," Joho said.
Nyakundi responded to the remarks on X by asking users to send him any damaging information about the CS, seemingly to enable him to respond in kind.
"I will then distribute the info to other bloggers and social media users," the blogger said.
"You can send him screenshots. His number is hereunder," Nyakundi added.
Speaking at Manga in Taita Taveta county on Tuesday, where he accompanied President William Ruto on day two of his development tour, Joho said he will not be cowed by online trolls as he is preoccupied with important matters on the ground.
The CS said some of those who answered to Nyakundi's call attempted to bully him for the remarks he made.
"Last night they came for me, they said they were greeting me by sending one shilling each. Please, today send Sh100 or Sh200; I will be waiting."
Joho reiterated that a country cannot be built by a citizenry that spends most of its time online abusing people, saying that he has no time to respond to such a group.
"I cannot spend my time online responding to a single Kenyan who's lost the sense of direction and patriotism taliking about 'Raila Odinga must fall' in reference to the AU race. How unpatriotic can you be as Kenyans that even one of your own has an opportunity somewhere good to lead, you start saying they must fall? We will come for you, my friend," he said.
Joho said online remarks by a section of what he termed as unpatrotic busybodies were painting the country in bad light internationally to the extent of negatively influencing investors.
"They are talking about Kenya having collpased, it's you who is collapsing; the country is developing. You stay online as we continue working on the ground. Let's be patriotic; we don't have two countries."
The former Mombasa governor said a democratically elected government cannot be removed from office through social media, as some believe.
He said had he listened to what people were saying about him on social media platforms, he never would have ventured into politics.
"I would be sitting idle on a bench with other layabouts somewhere in Kisauni because they came for me when I decided to run. There's no label I have not been given—I have been called a murderer, drug baron, uneducated, all manner of names.
"Come election day, I didn't see the online people, and those that were there we vanguished them. So I want to tell you that as much as you have a voice, if you come for us, we will come for you."
