Nothing exposed Kenyan journalism's lack of impartiality more than the coverage of the aborted ODM leaders’ trip to London for reconciliation. When the announcement was made by some top party officials at the beginning of March, The Standard treated it as a page one splash with a sympathetic headline “Operation Save ODM-K”. The paper pushed the first anniversary of the barbaric raid to its offices by John Michuki’s hooded hooligans to the second place on the same page.
The splash story by Dennis Onyango and Ayub Saluva described the trip to London as a “bonding and peace making retreat”. Not a word was said in the story about Bishop Gilbert Deya financing the trip. All that the paper said was that the “sojourn to the distant land (was) organized by ODM-Kenya sympathizers in the Diaspora, (as) part of a series of measures crafted to defuse the rising internal tension and fears that the ambitions of those fighting for its ticket could burst the Orange.”[1]
Though its proprietor, William Ruto, was denied a visa to the UK as a suspected corrupt politician, the Saturday Times of March 3 glorified the trip to London as a mission of hope where warring party presidential candidates “would stay in one hotel as assign of unity and trust as well as bonding among themselves.”[2] The writer of the Times story, Philip Mulee, either due to ignorance or lack of initiative, never said a word about the possibility of the disgraced Bishop Deya’s hand behind the entire trip.
The only journalist who was courageous enough to look at the whole drama in a professionally critical manner was Sunday Nation’s Gitau Warigi who hit the nail on the head when he called the trip to London “laughable”. In his Sunday View column he said: “Have you ever heard anything as laughable as people going to a foreign city to try and mend fences? When you face a problem, you sit down where that problem is and thrash it out. If it is land dispute in Mathare, it is ridiculous to travel to Congo to discuss it there. Even as ODM honchos go to London ostensibly to ‘bond’, plus doing a little shopping and carousing on the side, one has to be pretty daft to expect that the deepening rot in the Orange can be wished away.”[3]
Warigi’s courage singles him out as the only writer with the ability to point out anything unpalatable to the ODM leadership. But alas, even he did not seem to have a clue about the funds financing the trip to London. It was not until March 9th when David Mugonyi of the Daily Nation told the country that the trip to the British capital aborted because some of the leaders “learnt that Pastor Gilbert Deya was one of (its) organizers.” He explained that the pastor came to “fame” during the miracle babies’ saga and that he was wanted by the police in Kenya.
Despite being quite an eye opener Mugonyi’s story was only published after Kalonzo Musyoka and Uhuru Kenyatta pulled out of the trip.[4] It was therefore not an exposé as such.
If Bishop Deya financed the whole trip to London not many Kenyan journalists were too eager to expose that fact. All that Philip Mulee of the Kenya Times could say, for example, was that “officially” Kalonzo Musyoka, Uhuru Kenyatta, William Ruto and Dr. Julia Ojiambo rejected the trip “complaining it had been hijacked by some unnamed group with the ulterior motive of allegedly painting the party in bad light.”[5] He made no effort to reveal the names of the people accused. What their motive was did not concern the journalist at all. This is despite the fact that Mulee’s splash story was supposed to expose why the UK trip aborted!
As a matter of fact it was not until in the 15th paragraph that Mulee told his readers about the involvement of Bishop Deya in the organization of the trip and the possibility of his being responsible for its failure. He said : “ It also emerged last evening that one of those said to be sponsoring the trip is Bishop Gilbert Deya of Gilbert Deya Missionaries who has in recent years received stinking publicity relating to the ‘scandal’ of miracle babies . This development is understood to have put off other ODM-K presidential hopefuls who did not want to be associated with the controversial bishop wanted in Kenya to stand trial for illegally kidnapping babies.”
Any first year undergraduate student who has mastered his news values and the inverted pyramid form of story presentation would easily tell you that that should have been Mulee’s intro. A senior journalism student would have insisted that the Deya original story should have been an award wining exposé instead of an appendix of a story from police files.
Despite the rotten skeletons in the ODM cupboard, some journalists were still trying to paint a picture of unity in the party that could not send a united team to London. In the Saturday Times story of March 10, Benson Amollo and Bernard Onyari were telling the people of Kenya that ODM-K leadership embarked on damage control measures in the face of an aborted UK trip, with the party’s top guns “ putting on a brave face and for the umpteenth time restating their unity.” The two went as far as quoting a Mr. George Muruli from London who denied what they called “claims that discredited Archbishop Gilbert Deya of the miracle babies’ saga was part of the organizing committee which invited the leaders to London.[6] On the same day the Saturday Standard published a story from Ben Agina in London and Standard team in Nairobi now quoting ODM leaders distancing themselves from claiming “ they pulled out of (the trip to London) on learning that the UK based controversial cleric , Archbishop Gilbert Deya, of baby making scandal, was involved in the planning of the excursion .
After interviewing Raila in London, Agina filed a story quoting the politician denying Deya’s involvement, “particularly claims that he paid 10,000 British pounds for the upkeep of ODM politicians in London. But he quoted the ODM –UK Publicity Secretary George Muruli saying Deya as a Kenyan in UK was “free to participate in these crucial functions that bring ODM –Kenya leaders together.”[7]
May be the journalist who dug deeper into the ODM story than anyone else was Bernard Namunane of the Nation. He exposed for the first time that there was “deep seated suspicion, personality clashes and mistrusts among some ODM-K leaders.” In a story published on the March 10th edition of the Sunday Nation Namunane touched a nerve when he exposed that “there were allegations that some politicians allied to a certain presidential hopeful were giving tips to the news media about unfavorable stories regarding rival camps.”[8]
This is the first time “tips” between journalists and politicians have been mention in actual print instead of through spoken words usually in whispers. What the real “tips” were on and in what form Namunane never revealed. As the journalists in the mainstream media were beating about the bush on the real reason for the cancellation of the London trip by some of the most powerful ODM presidential candidates, The Weekly Citizen of March 12-18 quoted Najib Balala openly saying: “Deya is an access baggage that should not be allowed into ODM Kenya”. The story revealed that Deya had offered to the party the latest range of Mercedes Benz and Land Rovers to the dignitaries who agreed to go to London for the ODM meeting.
The paper boldly said: “Deya, a fellow Lou like Raila, appears to be working overnight to ensure his tribesman from Siaya becomes the next tenant at State House.” [9]
These few examples help to illustrate how the media in Kenya took one incident to report the 2007 electoral process at its early stages. It shows an open bias in favour of ODM even when there were obvious cracks on the party’s walls. Like in many election campaigns in the world there were many unsubstantiated statements regarding the cancelled trip by top ODM leaders. Despite the publicity mileage the event got in both the print and electronic media, it was in the print media where the issue was treated in the most prolific manner but very strangely without digging deep into the substance of the matter.
The majority of the published stories appeared to be the result of spoon-fed mash rather than the result of investigative journalism. The weakness was most noticeable in the lack of effort to establish the accuracy of what the politicians said and what made them say whatever they said when they were either boycotting the trip to London or backing it.
Examining the presentation of stories concerning the London trip controversy brought into my mind the coverage of the 2000American presidential election on the internat. At that time journalists engaged in lively debates about a number of issues but their debates were as confusing as they were wide in their variety of subjects. The trip to London was without a doubt the beginning of the 2007 elections but the manner the journalists handled it was confusing as some of them were doubtlessly protecting ODM from being tarnished by Bishop Deya’s involvement in the planning and financing the trip.
According to Barb Palser, the Director of Digital Media for McGraw-Hill Broadcasting Co. the thrilling debates by journalists during the 200 American presidential elections showed that the internet had the potential to make debates and campaigns much more substantive. He says the election debate on the internet in 2000 also had the potential to paralyze, confuse and overwhelm.[10] Whereas the trip to London debate and opinionated coverage in the Kenyan print media was overwhelming, it was also certainly confusing. May be that was so because the Kenyan journalists failed to realize the potential to make the trip-to-London debate more substantive.
[1] Onyango, Dennis and Savula, Ayub. “Operation Save ODM-K” in Saturday Standard No.061 of March 3, 2007.
[2] Mulee, Philip. “ODM-K Top Guns for London Mediation in the Saturday Times No.341955 of March 3, 2007.
[3] Warigi, Gitau. “Conflicting Ambitions are ODM Leaders’ Key Challenge” in Sunday Nation No. 15370 of March 4, 2007.
[4] Mugonyi, David. “Kalonzo and Uhuru Skip Bonding Trip” in the Daily Nation No.15375 of March 9, 2007.
[5] Mulee, Philip. “Why UK Trip Aborted” in Kenya Times No.341960 of March 9, 2007.
[6] Amollo, Benson and Anyari, Bernard. “UK trip Jigsaw Puzzle” Saturday Times No. 341061 of March 10th , 2007.
[7] Agine, Ben. “ODM- Kenya in Denial” in Saturday Standard No. 062 of March 10, 2007
[8] Namunane, Barnard. “The Real Problem in ODM in Saturday Nation No. 15376 of March 10th 2007.
[9] Citizen Team. “Assassination Fear Grips Top) DM-K Men” in Weekly Citizen Volume 10 issue No 13 of March 12-18 2007.
[10] Palster, Barb. “ You want Politics, You Got It” in American Journalism Review, December 200 issue.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Friday, March 2, 2007
Snakes in Kibaki's Cabinet
Exactly a year ago on the night of 1st March 2006 the pride that Kenyans had of enjoying the freest press south of the Sahara and north of the Limpopo was destroyed by an act of vandalism when The Standard and KTN offices were invaded by State hooligans who wanted to prove that might was right. Since then the tables have been turned and right is proving to be mightier than might itself!
Today the world is on the side of The Standard and indeed the pen has been proved to be mightier than the sword -- at least the sword that was held on that night by one John Michuki of the British home guards disgrace during Kenya’s struggle for independence in the 1950s, when he was notoriously known as “Kimendero” the crusher. The pen in Kenya did not win its envious position lightly. It was at a very bitter price and the role played by the journalists at Kenya’s oldest newspaper to win the global respect that Kenyan journalism now commands, must today be recalled by reminding ourselves of what really took place on that sad day.
On that night journalists at both The Standard and the KTN had put their paper to bed and aired the most important story of the day. Very much like today the story was the result of the KCSE examination. A very important story indeed; but hardly a threat to state security. And as the papers with examination results were being printed armed hooded police commandos invaded Standard offices. They seized and burned copies of 2nd March issue .They disabled the newspapers printing press. They confiscated equipments including computers .They shut down Kenya Television Network (KTN) broadcasting station. And why? Because Michuki had given his orders which were followed to the letter.
A spontaneous demonstration by the people of Kenya illustrated the bitterness they had against Michuki. He was pushed against the wall and had to speak and tell the people the reason for his dastardly act. So he spoke: “When you rattle a snake you must be prepared to be bitten (by it).” Who was the snake? What was the rattle? And what was the bite? After Michuki spoke there were more questions raised than answered and some of these questions are still lingering in our minds.
Whether or not President Mwai Kibaki’s Government is a snake, history alone will tell. But before the historians come into the picture to demystify the cobwebs of these events, it is the view of many observers that in Kibaki’s Government there are many snakes of the most dangerous kind. The venom they spread is not only harmful to journalists but to the establishment itself. It is venom called corruption which has seen a number of heads roll in the very cabinet itself. History will record the roll played by the media in the fight against corruption. In that war The Standard is a foot soldier in the forefront trying to kill Goliath with a homemade knife. To many people therefore the snake is still alive and just as dangerous if not more so. It can still bite and it can still cause a lot of harm.
The snakes in Kibaki’s government are the people who have become millionaires overnight and they have the arrogance to exhibit their wealth with impunity. The snake in Kibaki’s government is the colonial Penal Code which allows Michuki to behave like a hooligan and get away with it. The snake in Kibaki’s government is Section 79 of the current constitution which gives freedom of expression with one hand and takes it away with another.
On March 2nd Kenyans were shocked by the barbaric raid and it must be recorded that The Standard’s main rival, the Daily Nation , comes out with a special edition and condemned police brutality in Kenya. This showed that it takes very little to rekindle journalistic fraternity back to life in this country. This fraternity should be kept alive at all costs because it is now quite clear there are evil forces out to destroy it. Following the Daily Nation’s special edition the police denied ever setting the papers on fire though pictures taken at the scene proved they actually did it.
At that time the Minister for Internal Security, John Michuki, said the commandos were indeed part of the police force. They were members of the notorious Kanga Unit which consisted of 12 policemen working under the then Police CID boss Joseph Kamau. Was this the team of rattle snakes whose number one duty is to muzzle the press when the country’s security is as stake? Another question still lingering in our minds!
The journalistic courage of The Standard was exhibited on the 2nd of March when the issue which was burned was back on the street plus a special Standard edition which sold like hot cakes. It described in details how the Kanga thugs invaded the editorial offices and the printing plant. There are few places in the world where journalists are so fearless in the face of real danger. May be it is because of the courage shown by journalists in Kenya in general and those in The Standard in particular that Michuki quickly realized that the Kenya of 2007 is very different from that of the 1950s.
The war against Michuki’s attempt to muzzle the media was not fought by The Nation
and The Standard alone , indeed the Kenya Times of the 3rd of March was in a fighting spirit too it had a courageous headline screaming “State Thuggery”.It also had a front page editorial in which it called the police “ terrorist”. It talked of scenes of arson and robbery .The Standard of that day had a one word headline “OUTRAGE” and praised the people of Kenya for uniting against dictatorship. If the watchdog role of the Fourth Estate that was shown by the media at that was still maintained today, many of our social, political and even some economic problem hidden in corruption would have been on their way out. Apparently it is not Michuki alone who want to muzzle the Press in Kenya. There are many dangers scattered all over the country threatening the media including some people who claim to be champions of free speech.
The Daily Nation of March 3rd exposed a split in the Cabinet over the police raid. In a front page editorial it urged Kenyans to resist bullies. At that time 27 diplomats condemned the raid and The Sunday Nation of March 5th revealed that the President was under pressure to declare his stand on the raid. Until today he has not opened his mouth about the issue but since Kenyans have not forgotten the event of March 1st and 2nd a at this election time the sooner he says something the better it will be for everyone including his own political future.
Today the world is on the side of The Standard and indeed the pen has been proved to be mightier than the sword -- at least the sword that was held on that night by one John Michuki of the British home guards disgrace during Kenya’s struggle for independence in the 1950s, when he was notoriously known as “Kimendero” the crusher. The pen in Kenya did not win its envious position lightly. It was at a very bitter price and the role played by the journalists at Kenya’s oldest newspaper to win the global respect that Kenyan journalism now commands, must today be recalled by reminding ourselves of what really took place on that sad day.
On that night journalists at both The Standard and the KTN had put their paper to bed and aired the most important story of the day. Very much like today the story was the result of the KCSE examination. A very important story indeed; but hardly a threat to state security. And as the papers with examination results were being printed armed hooded police commandos invaded Standard offices. They seized and burned copies of 2nd March issue .They disabled the newspapers printing press. They confiscated equipments including computers .They shut down Kenya Television Network (KTN) broadcasting station. And why? Because Michuki had given his orders which were followed to the letter.
A spontaneous demonstration by the people of Kenya illustrated the bitterness they had against Michuki. He was pushed against the wall and had to speak and tell the people the reason for his dastardly act. So he spoke: “When you rattle a snake you must be prepared to be bitten (by it).” Who was the snake? What was the rattle? And what was the bite? After Michuki spoke there were more questions raised than answered and some of these questions are still lingering in our minds.
Whether or not President Mwai Kibaki’s Government is a snake, history alone will tell. But before the historians come into the picture to demystify the cobwebs of these events, it is the view of many observers that in Kibaki’s Government there are many snakes of the most dangerous kind. The venom they spread is not only harmful to journalists but to the establishment itself. It is venom called corruption which has seen a number of heads roll in the very cabinet itself. History will record the roll played by the media in the fight against corruption. In that war The Standard is a foot soldier in the forefront trying to kill Goliath with a homemade knife. To many people therefore the snake is still alive and just as dangerous if not more so. It can still bite and it can still cause a lot of harm.
The snakes in Kibaki’s government are the people who have become millionaires overnight and they have the arrogance to exhibit their wealth with impunity. The snake in Kibaki’s government is the colonial Penal Code which allows Michuki to behave like a hooligan and get away with it. The snake in Kibaki’s government is Section 79 of the current constitution which gives freedom of expression with one hand and takes it away with another.
On March 2nd Kenyans were shocked by the barbaric raid and it must be recorded that The Standard’s main rival, the Daily Nation , comes out with a special edition and condemned police brutality in Kenya. This showed that it takes very little to rekindle journalistic fraternity back to life in this country. This fraternity should be kept alive at all costs because it is now quite clear there are evil forces out to destroy it. Following the Daily Nation’s special edition the police denied ever setting the papers on fire though pictures taken at the scene proved they actually did it.
At that time the Minister for Internal Security, John Michuki, said the commandos were indeed part of the police force. They were members of the notorious Kanga Unit which consisted of 12 policemen working under the then Police CID boss Joseph Kamau. Was this the team of rattle snakes whose number one duty is to muzzle the press when the country’s security is as stake? Another question still lingering in our minds!
The journalistic courage of The Standard was exhibited on the 2nd of March when the issue which was burned was back on the street plus a special Standard edition which sold like hot cakes. It described in details how the Kanga thugs invaded the editorial offices and the printing plant. There are few places in the world where journalists are so fearless in the face of real danger. May be it is because of the courage shown by journalists in Kenya in general and those in The Standard in particular that Michuki quickly realized that the Kenya of 2007 is very different from that of the 1950s.
The war against Michuki’s attempt to muzzle the media was not fought by The Nation
and The Standard alone , indeed the Kenya Times of the 3rd of March was in a fighting spirit too it had a courageous headline screaming “State Thuggery”.It also had a front page editorial in which it called the police “ terrorist”. It talked of scenes of arson and robbery .The Standard of that day had a one word headline “OUTRAGE” and praised the people of Kenya for uniting against dictatorship. If the watchdog role of the Fourth Estate that was shown by the media at that was still maintained today, many of our social, political and even some economic problem hidden in corruption would have been on their way out. Apparently it is not Michuki alone who want to muzzle the Press in Kenya. There are many dangers scattered all over the country threatening the media including some people who claim to be champions of free speech.
The Daily Nation of March 3rd exposed a split in the Cabinet over the police raid. In a front page editorial it urged Kenyans to resist bullies. At that time 27 diplomats condemned the raid and The Sunday Nation of March 5th revealed that the President was under pressure to declare his stand on the raid. Until today he has not opened his mouth about the issue but since Kenyans have not forgotten the event of March 1st and 2nd a at this election time the sooner he says something the better it will be for everyone including his own political future.
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