A couple of days ago, every news media outlet in Kenya was rife with talk about how there were going to be dual swearing-ins on Tuesday. We were told how meticulous plans were being made for JaKuon to be sworn in at the same time that Uhuru was going to be sworn in. If you have been an observer of Kenyan politics for a while, you knew that it was another silly bluff; there was no way that JaKuon was going to through with the charade but that did not stop NASA and the media fraternity from flooding us with that ridiculous 5-page Ukambani declaration.
Then just when people had made plans to get their families out of Nairobi while warriors were stock-piling stones and pangas, the niga JaKuon cheekily and unceremoniously backs out of his own coronation.
The interesting thing is that only ONE media house reported it and chances are that night runners still think their tin god will be crowned in 48 hours. The “prayers” will be a convenient place to start running battles. And once again, the media will be on top of the situation giving us a blow-by-blow account of how “innocent” worshippers are being massacred by inhumane police.
It has reached a point where Editors don’t report the story but report their story.
Once I wanted to do a big story on a certain politician in the opposition. He was still a budding noisemaker but it would have brought his activities to light.
I was given resources and told to bring solid evidence before it goes on air.
After doing my investigations, I was told to drop it.
Never mind that I had the guy secretly on video, in my sitting room together with his accomplice doing very illegal things.
Later, I noticed the guy toned down on TV. But he never returned my calls or picked my phone ever since. I suspect he was told to lay low.
That was in 2009. He now officially makes a lot of noise outside Parliament.
What Magufuli is doing to press freedom in Bongo is wrong but what Kenya media is doing is equally wrong. If I want to remain in a happy mood I avoid turning on TV because I might find the repulsive political analysts that president Uhuru was talking about.