1The Media ObserverJANUARY- MARCH 2015

BSERVER

Watching the Watchdog

A Publication of the Media Council of Kenya Issue 41 October 2018

... and promoting media conversations

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Issue 31 , 06 August 2018

EDITORIAL

Dear Scribe,

Professionalism must be maintained at all times by those

who practice journalism. For a while now, the Observer has

made and will continue to make pleas to scribes to remain

objective and conduct themselves with propriety in the line

of duty.

By so doing credibility will be attained and the masses will

have faith in media. It may seem like a complicated affair,

but ultimately it can be achieved through protracted

genuine efforts. With that said the stories that

characterized the week give a glimpse into the fourth

estate.

Journalists who cover death, suffering, trauma, violence

and disasters need training to equip them remain objective.

The reporting on last week’s bus crash at Fort Ternan in

Kericho County, which killed 58 passengers and crew was

a pointer to the need for enhancing the scribes’ skills

through training. The Observer shares a few tips.

The Observer notes with compunctions the conduct of

editors at KTN, who failed to air the three-part

documentary ‘Profiteers’ by John Allan Namu. if they

never intended to air the documentary why did they air the

promo? Who were the ‘forces’ that stopped the story from

being aired? In the past KTN was accused of the same

misdemeanor. The documentary was later shared on

different social media platforms and it elicited varying

reactions KTN risks its credibility. This issue continues to

promote the independence of the media that is free of

intimidation.

Now, when a media house decides to carry an exclusive

interview, it should then bring forth new information. The

hyped exclusive interview on NTV- #JowiesParentsonNTV

failed to inform the public; instead the story left many

questions unanswered. The interview was unnecessary.

Moreover, a story that lacks objectivity is an insult to

journalism; People Daily is free to take a stand on any

topical issue. But they cannot pass off their views as news.

Such views belong to the opinion pages. The story on

“Referendum splits Jubilee MPs.” Failed to distinguish

clearly between, conjecture and fact and violated the code

of conduct for the practice of journalism.

The story on KICC and what informed its design

stimulated discussions both online and offline on what

really inspired the architect/s to use the donkey’s ‘thing’.

Time will tell whether the story by Citizen TV will inspire

architectural designs or change people’s perception of the

iconic structure.

Finally, the last week can only be summarized in two words:

Moi, death. Most of the headlines dwelt on the legacy of

the second President of the republic; however Kenyans

were denied a chance to know the other side of President

Moi. He was a great leader yes, but praises aside, critique.

On Fort Tenan accident where 58 people lost their lives, the

story would have been big but most media houses

downplayed the deaths and focused on sideshows. In the

event of a plane crash and same number of lives lost, would

the reporting be any different?

Read on.

The Observer is cordially served.

Issue 31 , 06 August 20182

MEDIA REVIEWS

I will go straight to the point, Your Excellency. Please order

the immediate demolition of KICC to protect the country’s

moral fabric and for the sake of the Big Four agenda.

Call up the Chinese, Sir. Sign a new loan with them. Yes, we

have too many loans already, but just call the Chinese. We

must immediately put up a new building on the KICC site,

inspired, I suggest, by the cross of Jesus Christ. We are a

Christian nation.

We can’t have KICC. No, we just can’t. We risk God’s wrath.

It is like poking our fingers into the eyes of the Almighty.

If you won’t act, Sir, a mighty thunder will strike down that

cursed building into a heap of rubble.

I write to you, Mr President, for two reasons. First, the

enormity and urgency of the matter at hand compels me to

speak bluntly. And second, my constitutional mandate as

the Supreme Moral Authority in the land demands that I act

decisively when public morality is at stake. The Constitution

is very clear.

It has come to my attention, Mr President, that KICC’s

design was inspired by the shape of a donkey’s erect penis.

Oh yes, you read that right, Your Excellency. Why a

donkey’s penis, of all animals, I don’t know. No one knows.

Kenya’s first African chief architect David Mutiso told

Citizen TV last week that he was inspired by a donkey’s

erect penis in designing KICC in 1968. The building was

Letter to the President: Demolish KICCopened in 1973.

Your Excellency, how can a donkey’s erect penis inspire

anyone? Pure madness!

How can Citizen TV air such crap?

Why a donkey’s mating organ might inspire an architect

should be the subject of a multi-agency investigation. I most

humbly recommend an investigation, Sir. Kenyans won’t

mind an oxygen tax to get money for a probe to unravel this

mystery.

The very soul of this nation is at stake, Mr President. Let it

never be said that it was during your tenure that Kenya died.

That would be a horrible legacy.

Why is this information being released to the public a whole

45 years after KICC was opened?

Mr President, KICC is Nairobi’s most iconic building. It is our

country’s most recognizable skyscraper around the world. It is

synonymous with the Green City in the Sun. But it is also

emblematic of Kenya.

Now, that image has been shattered – forever, Mr President.

It is no use having the building. Bring it down.

Your Excellency, Nairobi is up there with Paris, London, New

York and Singapore as a tourist, conferencing and investment

destination. What are people around the world thinking about

us, when it turns out we design some of our best buildings

inspired by sexual organs?

People are not going to look at KICC the same way they have

in the past, Mr President. Every time anyone passes by the

building or looks at it or sees its picture, their minds will

straightway go to the donkey’s organ.

The implications of this for national development, especially

the Big Four agenda, are too dreadful to contemplate, Sir. We

are talking here about hundreds of millions of people in

Kenya and around the world thinking about a donkey’s erect

penis whenever they see KICC.

They won’t anymore think of Nairobi as an investment

destination. They will no longer know Nairobi as the only

Issue 31 , 06 August 20183

like to know, among many other disturbing questions, why

Citizen TV decided to do the interview at this time and why

Mutiso chose to reveal such ugly details to the whole wide

world.

Your Excellence, the tourism industry is recovering after the

prolonged election period last year and the attendant

political turbulence. I suspect someone is out to frustrate

the recovery and ruin your glorious legacy.

The media needs to be patriotic. Some things you don’t

broadcast, for national interest. We have a country to build.

Dreams to fulfil.

Just demolish KICC, I beseech you on my knees, Your

Excellency.

I remain

Your Most Humble Servant

Hezekiah Mutura, ATM, KCPE, GDP, TQN, CDF, DRC

Chief Moral Cop of the Republic of Kenya

capital city in the world with a national park. They won’t be

thinking about holding conferences at KICC. They will be

thinking about the fat, black thing of a donkey penetrating

the city sky.

If KICC will be allowed to stand, what is the next important

building in town going to look like?

Mr President, you often address important national and

international events hosted at KICC. Can you imagine what

would be on the minds of the delegates seated before you

next time you are in that building?

Your Excellency, I am sure you have watched donkeys

mating. It is a very violent scene. The donkey’s penis is a

most ugly organ. It is an instrument of violence. We don’t

want to be associated with it. We are a peace-loving people.

My office has ordered investigations into the circumstances

surrounding the interview by Citizen TV. Kenyans would

KTN risking its credibility

‘The Profiteers’ is a three-part documentary that was

scheduled to a run on KTN. The investigative piece

produced and voiced by award-winning journalist John

Allan Namu of Africa Uncensored exposed the plunder

of South Sudan’s resources by some government officials.

The perpetrators, according to the story, are protected by

Kenya’s military. The documentary explicitly mentions

Kenyan banks that were allegedly used as conduits in the

looting and transfer of cash.

In the days leading to the airing of the piece, KTN ran a

promotional trailer throughout the week. But the broadcast

was dropped before it was scheduled to go on air. The

decision raised a lot of questions.

In March, KTN suspended the airing of an investigate

report on grand theft at Kenya Power titled #Hadubini by

Hussein Mohammed and #InsideSource by Francis

Ontomwa. The station simply informed viewers without

explanation that the documentary would not be aired. The

investigative piece is gathering dust on KTN shelves.

On ‘Profiteers’, Namu in a post on his Twitter handle stated

that the editors at KTN “were largely happy with the story,

but wanted to remove certain parts of it as they sought

comment from an adversely mentioned person. We

disagreed, given that we had already sought fair comment

from this person.”

The question that editors at KTN should answer is: who are

the people who never wanted the story aired? Why did the

editors bow to the pressures, halting the transmission?

It is obvious there was interference. No media house can

announce planned publication of a report without being

sure of its content. If there were unresolved issues, KTN

would certainly have ironed them out before promising its

viewers

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the investigative report.

Second, the explanation that someone who was mentioned

adversely in the report had not commented is a lame excuse.

The fact that one was given the opportunity to comment on

the allegations is enough.

Namu went ahead to upload the three-part documentary on

social media platforms of Africa Uncensored. It has received

a lot of viewing and sparked important conversations here

and abroad. At the time of writing, each part of the

documentary averaged 150,000 views. The numbers will

increase due to the interest the expose has created.

After the story was uploaded online, South Sudan residents

in Kenya together with activists organized a protest against

the South Sudan government to demand the freezing of

assets of those fleecing the country and sanction banks that

have facilitated the alleged looting.

That shows the power of social media especially in instances

where media houses are compromised to deny citizens

information or are timid.

This incident raises yet again questions about KTN’s

credibility as an independent source of news. Credibility is a

media house’s most important asset. KTN honchos owe

viewers a proper explanation for why they chose to insult the

intelligence of Kenyans in this way.

If the station or whoever it wanted to please intended to kill

the truth, they failed big time. It is all out there.

Here is a sample of comments from ‘netizens’ concerning

Namu’s documentary:

Evans Kinyua@EvansKinyua17: “KTN chickened out of

airing ‘The Profiteers’ most likely after a phone call from very

high up. From friends and collaborators of the South

Sudanese buccaneers. And those, ladies and gentlemen, are

our leaders”.

Wairimu Anne@awwairimu Replying to @AfUncensored: “I

cried most bitterly when I watched this documentary. I think

Africans have an inherent problem. We seem to function

[best] at sub-human levels. Woi, that mama pulled my heart

and the theft of resources is downright immoral. Good job

for bringing this to light”.

Gathambo @Gahtambo, Replying to @AfUncensored:

“There is South Sudan. Kenya always benefits from these

wars. Ethiopia, Somali, Zaire, Rwanda, Uganda all their

money ended in Nairobi. If peace returns in these countries

Nairobi would deflate”.

Majang chien @MajangChien: “After watching the three

parts of #TheProfiteers by @johnallannamu, I realized that

by the time genuine peace comes home, we won't have

enough natural resources to build ourselves. They're

disappearing at an alarming rate and nobody is helping

because the players are The Profiteers”

Boniface Mwangi Verified account@bonifacemwangi: “On

Tuesday 9th October, 6pm, @Pawa254 we shall screen

#TheProfiteers by @AfUncensored and later on have a

conversation with the award winning journalist

@johnallannamu. Get a chance to ask Namu how they did

it. In the meantime watch #TheProfiteers here:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8SSOIb3zzK_0

E2vS98jluamdiR0f-9_4 …”

Afreaka! @Afreaka_: “That is the reality. The situation is

hopeless. More war means more looting.”

MigunaVerified account@MigunaMiguna: “Bravo Namu.

This is a very important investigative piece. But my only

concern is that it indirectly EXONERATES Salvar-Kiir and

his cronies, who has looted much, much more and destroyed

South Sudan. It would have been much better if it deals with

the SPLM/A and SPLM-IO – equally.”

Peter Maina@PeteroMaina: “Wow, John you are daring. No

wonder you have made a name for yourself in this field of

investigative Journalism. Excellent piece. I doubt if the

Kenyan media houses would screen. They will be

compromised by the Cartels you are exposing. This is huge

money. It's a very sad story.”

Charles Mwabili @CMwabili: “Now we know. What a

shame our own financial institutions @KeEquityBank

@KCBGroup STANBIC BANK and @DahabshiilKenya

are fanning the massacre and human conflict happening in

SOUTH SUDAN! They are profiteering on BLOOD

MONEY!They are part of #TheProfiteers SHAME!!”

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Nicholas Koiser @KimutaiKoiser:

“#JowiesParentsonNTV @DennisOkari this interview is

not necessary at all especially at this time”.

#AfricaKillsHerSun @JoeAsali: “Why would parents hide

when talking about their son?, @DennisOkari does it even

make sense? Let me ask @EngnrDan why do parents hide

when talking about their son if they r genuine parents!?

This sounds a fictious piece”.

Kevin Odhiambo @kevin_akwany: “Yea but the question

of his injury is a different thing altogether. I know his

father is trying to front an alibi defence. Alibi defence is the

easiest to dislodge by the prosecution. He's nailed.”

EagleEye @EagleEye_ke: “Because according to folks,

even the bullet must have been planted. Lol. How else were

we ever to tune in to @NTVnewsroom if they would not

air a sensationalized headline? Shame on them all”.

TV news can be boring, especially if the stories become too

predictable, the subject has been running for too long

without any new angles or the content features the same

faces saying usual stuff. So it makes sense that journalists

and media houses try to be creative. On Sunday October 7,

NTV carried an exclusive interview with the parents of

Joseph Irungu alias Jowie. The two-part interview by Denis

Okari lasted close to 30 minutes.

Jowie needs no introduction, really. He and his girlfriend

Citizen TV journalist Jacque Maribe have denied murdering

Monica Kimani in her Kilimani house, Nairobi.

More than two weeks after the arrest of the main suspect in

the murder, NTV decided to interview the parents of the

accused person. The interview was carried during the 7pm

and 9pm news bulletins with a hashtag

#JowiesParentsonNTV. Certainly, the interview attracted

the curiosity of many viewers who wanted, perhaps, to know

the thoughts of the parents.

However what was baffling about the whole interview was

the parents’ decision to hide their faces. What were they

afraid of? And why did NTV allow it? They are not persons

of interest to the police.

NTV said it was protecting their identity. For what reason?

In journalism, the justification of protecting the identity of

a person is well established as an ethical tenet. Such

protection generally covers minors and victims of sexual

violence.

Of course private persons like Jowie’s parents reserve the

right to decline interviews for whatever reason. But if they

agree to be interviewed by a TV station, what sense does it

make to hide their faces? TV is audio-visual.

Their accounts of events appeared to generate more

confusion than clarity. The parents said their son was shot by

people on a motorcycle. But police reports indicate the

shooting happened inside Maribe’s’s house using a

neighbour’s gun. Who has the correct account?

Jowie’s father claimed he remembered his wife calling him on

phone to tell him their son had been arrested. But the

mother said she did not call him because she feared how he

might react to the news. Okari did not seek clarification of

this.

On social media people shared varied opinions on the

‘exclusive interview’:

Robert ALAI, HSC @RobertAlai: “Dennis Okari

desperately looking for some unique content on this Jowie

story. Even went ahead and hired an imposter who can’t even

show his face as father of Joe Irungu. Your son must be so

evil for you to hide your face while fighting for him. Can’t

What was the point of Okari’s “exclusive”?

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Referendum is in the news once again. But what is it about?

To cut public expenditure? To reduce over-representation?

To create positions of power to reward Raila Odinga and his

brigade for joining the Jubilee government through the

March 9 handshake? Not much is clear.

The reporting has mostly dwelt on the sentiments of

politicians either supporting or opposing the plebiscite.

On Wednesday, October 3, the People Daily carried a splash

titled, “Referendum splits Jubilee MPs.”

contest for and against the Bomas draft constitution, the

discordant calls for a review of the 2010 Constitution are

increasing…

“Unlike in 2005 when Raila Odinga led renegade Cabinet

ministers to defy President Mwai Kibaki in the plebiscite that

was eventually floored, this time the former prime minister,

now leader of the opposition, is pushing for a review that

some see as aimed at creating a position for him in

government.

“The push for or against national referendum is premised on

the 2022 race for State House with Ruto and Raila seen as

front runners…”

None of this is news. They are the opinions of the “PD

Team” that authored the article.

The story begins by describing the referendum as an “ogre

that sowed toxic ethnic seeds in 2005.” It has “reared its head

again.” This information is not attributed. So, it is the view of

the People Daily.

Moreover, the allegation that it is the 2005 referendum that

sowed ethnic hate culminating in the 2007-8 post-election

violence is not entirely accurate. The remote and immediate

causes of the chaos have been the subject of extensive study.

Claims that Raila is pushing the referendum to create a job

for himself or that the poll is premised on 2022 succession

politics – which could well be the case – are not attributed as

well.

Of course Raila has denied these claims – but who trusts

what comes from the mouth of a politician?

The People Daily is free to take a stand on any topical issue.

But they cannot pass off their views as news. Such views

belong to the opinion pages.

The Code of Conduct for the Practice of Journalism in

Kenya (published as the Second Schedule of the Media

Council of Kenya Act 2013) stipulates that: “A person

subject to this Act, while free to be partisan, shall distinguish

clearly in their reports between comment, conjecture and

fact.”

But the paper did not just report the views of Jubilee

legislators. It grabbed the opportunity to state its own

position on the referendum.

“The referendum ogre that sowed toxic ethnic seeds in 2005

– and to some observers – set the stage for the 2007 poll that

left the country on the brink has reared its head again,” the

People Daily report began.

“And just over a decade since that Banana and Orange

People Daily’s ‘referendum ogre’

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same. When Kenya woke up last Wednesday, a bus was split

in the middle, sitting in the bushes at Fort Ternan. Its topside

all the way to seat level was nowhere in the pictures. Empty

red seats, like the colour of the bus, stayed welded to the

chassis. The wheels and the entire steering system stood

there in a grotesque twist, never to move again. Most jarring,

58 people were dead or dying in hospital.

How should journalists report such tragedy? The following

principles make no judgement on how the press covered the

Fort Ternan crash; they provide only tips.

Speak to survivors with sensitivity

In Britain, they call it a death knock. A reporter will knock on

the door of bereaved family members to ask questions. It’s

one of the most difficult jobs of a journalist. People are

angry, heartbroken, lost in the depth of grief. Yet, there you

are knocking on their door or pushing a microphone in their

face and asking them questions. On the other hand, your job

as a reporter is to tell the story of the dead and those left to

live. How do you do it right?

Be straight and open. But be loaded with empathy. Tell

people why you’re there. You’re there to tell their story and

will listen if they wish to talk. Give them a chance to say they

don’t want to talk. If you’re honest and open about your

intentions, some sources will indulge you and speak. Some

won’t. And that’s Okay, too. Respect their space and inform

the editor back in the newsroom that they don’t wish to

speak. If they are critical to the story, come back another day.

Or use third parties, their friends or family. These are their

gatekeepers. Meanwhile, keep looking for sources willing to

speak today.

How to use social media

In our times when social media rules, quality of information

is still indispensable. People close to a tragedy or witnesses

will release personal information on WhatsApp groups, post

pictures on Facebook, etcetera. Instantly, the information

will be publicly available. But those who released it may not

realize that some information may be deeply private.

Doesn’t matter. Journalists are trained to ask ethical

questions about material gathered from any source. They

should still ask the same ethical questions about material

from social media. Do not lift content from social media and

publish it without an ethical check. Pictures plucked from

social media and published to a national audience on

mainstream media may be deeply upsetting to survivors and

families. They may not be images that bereaving families

would like their dead to be remembered by.

How to report death and trauma

Surgeons always remember the first time they had to cut

into a live human being. They remember because cutting

a person is difficult. For many of them, their first time

happens when they’re still medical students. The student

will hold the scalpel as the teacher places a hand on top of

the student’s hand. Together they press into the skin.

A surgeon must learn to overcome the natural instinct not

to hurt a human being. Similarly, a journalist who covers

death, trauma, suffering, violence and disaster must

overcome some natural instincts. Or they wouldn’t be

able to do their job well.

Last week’s bus crash at Fort Ternan in Kericho County

that killed 58 passengers and crew sharply swung the

focus on how journalists should cover tragedy.

Here, the facts on the Homeboyz Bus as reported on TV,

radio, newspapers and online:

• At the wheel was a 72-year-old man, fatigued from a round-trip. He arrived in Nairobi from Kisumu at 5pm

and, against the law, swung the bus around for a return

trip, the Nation reported on Thursday;

• The bus crew was rude and stubborn, survivors told reporters;

• The bus lacked a speed governor for nearly a year, the Nation reported;

• The 62-seater bus was overloaded with 71 passengers, some sitting on soda crates, the Standard reported last

Friday. The Standard also said the driver was only two

days old on the job;

• The driver’s son told the Nation on Friday that his father had complained that the bus had bad brakes.

It’s a lot of detail to dig through. But the verdict is the

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Use downtime constructively

Activity may crawl to a halt and it makes no sense for you to

hang around. Use your downtime constructively. It may be

the best time to put together questions whose answers you

most need. You may also spend this time to go about

verification. Or to get down to research.

Watch for signs that you might need help

Covering grief can be emotionally draining even to you, a

stranger to the victims. As a reporter, you may quickly get

overwhelmed and want to get the hell out of there. Learn

when to remove yourself form the scene to gather yourself.

MEDIASCAPE

Journalists are not immune to PTSD, post-traumatic stress

disorder. Know yourself. If red flags are flashing incessantly,

track down your support people. If something is bothering

you, talk to someone.

Regardless of red flags or none, go unwind after covering a

tragedy. Some reporters go to the gym. Some go for a long

walk. Some plunge in the water for a swim. Whatever works

for you. Unwinding will make it easier to cope with the ups

and downs of covering tragedy. But experienced reporters

on this beat will tell you that it takes practice, lots of practice.

Random thoughts on the media

Last week, which can only be summarised in three words:

Moi, death and templates.

Templates. That is a key word in newsrooms. Template. It

means a cut-out, a pattern, a preset format, a repetition, a

bore!

Now, we must give credit where it is due.

Our treatment of the Fort Ternan bus accident that killed

– wait - what was the exact number? BBC had 40 by 6am.

By then, we were not even sure there was an accident!

When we were, we cooked numbers, this time 42, the next,

50, the other time 55.

Maybe all journalists need to study mathematics.

But we digress. We want to talk about templates, and death,

and how we use the first for the second, and giving credits

where they are due.

Now, whenever an accident happens in Kenya, the average

journalist can write the story with their eyes closed.

We have an ‘accident’ template in the newsroom: xxx people

died, speeding, overloading… and official condolences

(which also follow a template).

With last week’s accident, we tried to move away from this

template. One would detect an effort, albeit weak, to move

away from xx died to ‘this is not news’ in our coverage (one

media house outdid itself by going for the age of the driver

of the “ill-fated” (what does this mean, by the way?) bus.

We, albeit weakly, told our audience that the 55 people who

died was not the big story: the big story was that it has

happened before, that it will happen again, and that our

audience will be forgiven for yawning and moving on to the

next channel or page….

From where we sit, this ought to have been the big story.

But we must give ourselves a pat on our shoulders: at least, we

tried to question why we must run stories with the same old

script: xxx people died when xx rolled at xx yesterday.

Not that we did very well, but at least, we did an ‘aside’ on our

template.

And now to Moi Day.

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One need not be a Martian to know that we messed with

this one.

Yes, former President Daniel arap Moi is an iconic figure.

Yes, if his predecessor, Jomo Kenyatta, had a day named

after him, then all presidents can argue that they need a day

named after them.

Yes, a lawyer argued his way into some judge’s opinion that

the day was not legally cancelled.

And, yes, some of us did enjoy Moi’s free milk - of course

from a cow, not the man.

We covered all that, but not, the other side of Moi.

Everyone (except Jesus?) has another side. As long as there

is light, there shall be darkness. As long as there is good,

there shall be evil.

Even the best of us appreciate that we are not perfect,

which makes a media that plays griot, or court poet if you

like, a media that lets down its audience.

Businessman personally owns six limousines

We not only let Moi down by portraying him as the perfect

president but also our audience by ridiculously trying to paint

a Saint in Moi - and in so doing, earned the wrath of millions

of our audience, who knew, nay, suffered, the other side of

Moi.

Postscript

Enough has been said about Joseph Kuria Irungu aka Jowie.

Still, we can learn precious lessons even from death and

suspects.

One, that Jowie has not been proven guilty of Monica’s

murder as yet. As such, any reporting that even implies that

he is guilty is unprofessional and outright prejudicial.

Two, while Monica’s murder was tragic, we have created a

hero in Jowie, the suspect. Somewhere out there, we will have

young fellows calling themselves Jowie, replete with the

commando uniform.

Heck, we even made Monica’s killing read like a murder

thriller, with one media house describing hers as a

professional killing because her throat was “slit from ear to

ear.” Holy!

If another Monica copy-cat killing emerges in future, we will

be guilty of creating a killer by how we reported this one.

Lord forbid!

See you next week!

PEN COP

According to agricultural statistics, the average age of a Kenyan

farmer is 60. (MyGov. October 9, p. 12) Whose “agricultural

statistics” are those? Done when?

She said that poor economic planning on the part of the government

because a lot of emphasizes was put on other development projects at

the expense of agriculture and food production. (MyGov. October

9, p. 12) This is not a sentence but an awful string of words.

The EACC does not list specific models but says the former

businessman personally owns six Mercedes Benz limousines, three

Land Rovers, two Peugeot saloons and one Toyota station wagon.

(Nation, October 8, p.2) What is “personally” doing in this

sentence?

Yet popularly known as Jerry Jalamo Ka John, the musician, who

passed away on Tuesday, perfectly balanced between the church and

secular music. Jerry as he was popularly known by his

fans….(Nation, October 8, p.3) “Popularly known” in two

successive sentences is atrocious writing.

Yet the cost of medication has continued to go up, pushing several

Kenyans into destitution, with many parting with family assets to settle

inflated bills. (Standard, October 9) The word “several” is

misused here. Several means more than two but not many.

Yet this story was about how greedy hospitals are exploiting

a broken health system that affects tens of millions of

Kenyans.

DUNCAN OMANGA,

Lecturer,

Moi University.

Apart from Philip Ochieng’s masterful tirade against the press

written in the early 80s, and a couple of biographies on actual

newsrooms cultures and the Kenyan media field, there is pretty

much nothing else. Most of our noted journalists prefer to

write biographies of politicians, except their own. They hence

deny journalism schools a peek into Kenya’s media cultures.

Research in the field is poor with scholars to writing textbooks

reproducing western canons.

10

                    

 

VIEWPOINT

11

                    

 The Media Observer

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Simon Njuguna

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Issue 31 , 06 August 2018

www.mediaobserver.co.ke