The media has done a commendable job highlighting another unfolding tragedy in Kenya other than coronavirus. Without shifting the lens away from the pandemic, journalists have told stories of the horrendous suffering of thousands of Kenyans due to floods and other problems brought about by heavy rains pounding the country – “pounding” is how Kenyan reporters and editors like to describe heavy rain.
Following the government’s health measures – and citizens’ observance of them – deaths from coronavirus remain low. Meanwhile, about 200 people had been killed by floods last week. Tens of thousands have been left homeless by the raging waters or resultant landslides.
The print and electronic media have published distressing images of swollen rivers and lakes, submerged houses, families wading through flooded farms, ruined houses, destroyed crops, broken bridges and residents huddled out in the cold.
Floods are a perennial problem in Kenya. Yet rain should not cause death. Water is life. But the tragedy speaks to a society rendered fragile by broken governance for over half a century.
What is the best way to report the effects of floods? You go there and see for yourself. Statements by the government and other newsmakers on this subject are important but a good journalist is always wary of being misled.
On May 6, the People Daily carried a story titled, “Hotels submerged, thousands displaced as rains wreak havoc”. Wreak havoc is another favourite phrase in Kenyan journalism.
“Horticultural farmers and investors were yesterday counting losses after flower farms and high-end hotels were submerged following the rise in water levels at Lake Naivasha to unprecedented levels,” PD reported.
Counting losses – another good one. You can imagine those investors counting one, two, three…. “Rise in water levels at Lake Naivasha to unprecedented levels”, is not exactly great writing but anyway….
So, high-end hotels were submerged? Reader expects names. But three paragraphs down, no names.
“In Naivasha, hotels and flower farms located next to riparian land have been the hardest hit as the lake water levels rise by the day,” the story said.
Well, land near Lake Naivasha is not “riparian”. That word means adjacent to a river. (We have clarified this before).
Which hotels were submerged in Naivasha? The report did not say. It quoted David Kilo, chairman of Naivasha Boat Owners Association, before moving on to details about floods in other parts of the country.
PD, this is bad journalism.
