KENYA: THE BEGINNING OF AN ERROR
Posted by jerrynguwa on January 29, 2008
On the 26th December 2007, Kenyans went to cast their votes in large numbers for the sake of bringing a change to their lifestyles. Last year general elections were the most important that Kenyans have witnessed from their accession to independence. Apart of what have just been said, we would also add that the turnout to last year elections was the most important ever.
It is important to say that the world has significantly changed compared to 1992 when the first elections were held after introduction of multiparty. One of the sectors that top the list is the communication sector. Well constructed roads, availability of air transport at a fair price, introduction of mobile communication and high speed internet etc. All of these have played a major role to boost the number of voters. Nevertheless, the print and electronic media have also made the last general elections what it is.
Elected to power or not, politicians must be grateful to the media for the coverage given to them. It revolts to hear politicians showing lack of respect towards the media with disobliging statement that the media will broadcast and publish.
Back to the Kenyan political scene; during the campaign period both the opposition and the government were reproaching certain media outlets of being bias towards them in front of media personnel who took the statements to newsroom and later published.
I do not really care about who has risen to power. I only have issues with those abusing the media.
On the same note, the TAITA (in the Coast region) super District Commissioner in the name of His Excellency, Eminence, Honorable KANG’ETHE THUKU went on to exercise one of duty by evicting one of our colleagues RENSON MNYAMWEZI of the Standard Group (second largest distributing daily) from a district development committee meeting on allegation that the journalist’s paper has always been biased against the government since it came to power in 2003. He allegedly said: “We cannot allow you in this meeting since your coverage is biased against the government. I can not allow one against the government to sit in a meeting that I am chairing”. WAO!! WHAT A SUPER MAN? Why at the first place do you invite the media to your meetings? I do not care about the house policies of media houses in Kenya. Because we can’t force people to believe in what we think is right. Informing people is a very expensive enterprise that requires very good business skills to run and also information need to be balanced. We can’t all be leaning on one side for the sake of satisfying people like KANG’ETHE. This incident comes barely two weeks after His Excellency, Eminence, Honorable D.C KANG’ETHE ordered immediate arrest of the same MNYAMWEZI that He accuses of having written a story that allegedly fuel ethnicity animosity in his district. Thanks God his attempt failed because he could not produce evidence.
If nothing is done at this right moment, we are going to witness the worst abuses of the media history here in Kenya. Because an era of abusing journalists has started and any sane person can see that it is only one of the many Errors that politicians make.
