I have been lucky to study in some of the best schools in the world, most of them in the US. One institution I fell in love with during my stay in the United States is their media. In a society where the media is worth so much, doomed are the societies either without media or with a crooked media. Of course a crooked media is worse than an absent one. Kenya finds itself in the unfortunate circumstance of having a crooked media, a media that is pre-occupied with small things and often gets bought out of the big issues.
To be clear, the media is never the arresting authority, the prosecuting force or the judge. But it is the keen watcher, keeping an eye on all that is happening, and reporting to the citizens. It is the media that should ask the tough questions that the poor people whose CDF has been embezzled cannot ask.
I was always amused by the dismissals of CNN by some in the US as “weak.” But at the same time, I remember seeing Wolf Blitzer always ready to ask policy makers why “a” was not done as promised or who stole “k” money. These are the tough straight forward questions that the citizens have that the media ought to ask. MSNBC, Fox News, and even blogs and radio stations dutifully ask leaders the questions that ought to be asked.
Then here comes Kenya. I am sure some idler somewhere will quickly tell me that America is 200 years old. What a stupid excuse!!! When America developed over 200 years old, the rate of civilization was quite slow, and the spread of knowledge and information was extremely slow. You cannot foolishly expect Kenya to take another 140 years to get to where the US is. While the US would wait 7 days to get data fromGermany over the development of an aircraft carrier, the same data can be relayed from the US to Kenya today in five seconds. And then someone foolishly argues that we need more time to evolve!
The media in Kenya might be waiting 140 years to ask Anne Waiguru where the NYS money went. The same media might be waiting for 140 years to evolve enough to ask tough questions about the standard gauge railway and what happened in the near-grabbing of Lang’ata Road Primary School land. Maybe after 14 painful decades, the media will have gained sufficient muscle to shift attention from socialites and start promoting education and other useful and uplifting talents such as education. Give it to Larry Madowo to interview those who “twerk” like it is what we need to stop World War III but fail to recognize the absence of a “Spelling Bee” in the country to nurture and promote intellectual pursuits.
Larry Madowo: He spends his time interviewing those who “twerk” and “bleach,” as well as other controversial personalities. It is what the Kenyan media should not be doing at this time in its development.
Every day a scandal that damages millions of lives of young children by either denial of food and/or education is unearthed but the media stays away, reporting silly occurrences. The city flooded nearly everywhere recently during the heavy rains, killing so many, but no one has asked the governor what he has done to improve drainage since he took office. I am yet to see a media, ballsy enough to ask Kidero why he paid Tonui Kshs. 200 million. I am yet to see a media that can ask Sonko how he makes money now that it is clear he has not embezzled the taxpayers’ money.
Even in this sad moment of media mediocrity, there is a sliver of hope. There are some media personalities, though few, who still try to stick to what really matters. Julie Gichuru is one example. She has tried to deal with weighty matters such as leadership for as long as she has been on television. Another one isVictoria Rubadiri who tries to soberly focus on vital issues.
Julie Gichuru: She has a history of tackling what really matters such as leadership and the economy
Victoria Rubadiri: Another journalist who focuses on crucial topics.
To the extent that the media in Kenya is going to be 14th century, shallow, and mediocre, the lives of Kenyans will remain frozen in the sphere of suffering and pain. Maybe after 14 decades, a new media will emerge. CAP sincerely hopes the news directors, managers, editors, and most importantly, media owners, understand, identify, and promote what uplifts the lives of Kenyans.