The Standard is a leading newspaper in Kenya, and Kenya's oldest newspaper. It also runs the Kenya Television Network (KTN). The newspaper was established as the African Standard in 1902 as a weekly. Standard's founder, A.M. Jeevanjee sold the paper to two British businessmen, who changed the name to the East African Standard. It became daily paper and moved its headquarters from Mombasa to Nairobi in 1910. British-based Lonrho Group bought the newspaper in 1963, only few months before Kenya's independence. The paper changed its name to the Standard in 1977. It was sold to Kenyan investors in 1995. The Standard is the main rival to Kenya's largest newspaper, the Daily Nation. In late February 2006 The Standard ran a story claiming that president Mwai Kibaki and senior opposition figure Kalonzo Musyoka had been holding secret meetings. At 1:00am local time (2200 UTC), on March 1, masked gunmen carrying AK-47s raided the editorial office of The Standard, and of its television station KTN. They kicked and beat staff members, forcibly took computers and transmission equipment, burned all the copies of the March 2nd edition of the newspaper, and damaged the presses. At KTN, they shut down its flow of electricity, putting the station off the air. Initially, the Kenyan information minister claimed no knowledge of the raid, but has since revealed that Kenyan police were responsible, and stated that the incident was to safeguard state security. "If you rattle a snake you must be prepared to be bitten by it," John Michuki said. Three journalists at The Standard, arrested after the critical story was printed, were released on March 2 on bail of 50,000 Kenyan shillings (US$692).

BBC: Kenya admits armed raids on paper Reuters: Leading media house shut down by armed men IFEX: Journalists released on bail; television station resumes broadcasts

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