A Nyamira county government notice circulating on social media last week announced “construction of pavillon [pavilion], football bitch [pitch] & running truck [track] at Manga stadium.” Gaki! The Observer will shortly contact Governor John Nyagarama to offer proofreading services pro bono.
In fact, it must be understood from the onset that the rights of the child supersede any other right (Star, October 29, p.5). This statement was contained in a comment by Joyce Ngugi, chairperson of the National Council for Children’s Services. But is it accurate? There is no hierarchy of rights. All rights are equal. But even if we were to rank rights, could children’s rights (to education, healthcare, protection from child labor, etcetera) supersede the right to life, for instance?
Cradle of religion and education in Makueni (Headline, Nation, November 1, p.2). The little-known American evangelist founded the Gospel Furthering Bible Church, and arguably made Mbanya in Makueni County the cradle of religion and development in the region and beyond. This is written in 2019 in a national newspaper. Apparently, before the arrival of that missionary, there was no religion, education or development in Makueni? What’s religion, education or development? Decolonize the mind!
There are much less lions in the country than has been publicized by conservationists and the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), a new scientific study is now disclosing (Nation, November 1, p.3). This is awkward writing. “Much” goes with uncountable nouns (water, rain, sand, love). Who says, “There are much less lions…?” There are fewer lions.
A three-judge-bench tasked to hear a petition filed by more than 500 people facing eviction from the Maasai Mau failed to take off yesterday due to budget constraints (Standard, October 29, p.5). What failed to take off? A three-judge bench. If it was the petition that failed to start, you begin with that. You can later tell the reader about the composition of the bench. It is not the most important point in this story.
The exams, however, kick off amid fears of flooding in several parts of the country experiencing heavy downpour, including northern Kenya (Standard, October 29, p.4). The writer clearly does not understand the meaning of downpour, which is heavy rainfall. You don’t write or say “heavy downpour”. Heavy is redundant here.
