A New Year is supposed to start very slowly. Why? People are returning to their normal businesses from the holidays. They had plenty to eat and drink, stayed up long nights, travelled long distances, did other energy-sapping gymnastics we don’t want to name in a family publication, and so on.
So, people feel a bit lazy. They need time to recover before returning full throttle to the daily grind. People stopped following the news amid the festivities, a “much-needed” break from Kieleweke, Tangatanga, whatnot.
Normally in the early days of the New Year, unless something earthshattering happens, like the death of a political bigwig, the stories in Kenyan media are about revellers staggering home at 5am; pictures of children at the beach; empty streets in town; church services. Ten ways to clear a hangover (which, of course, never work). Man fights wife for eating the gizzard in Ikolomani. Slow stuff. No politics.
But 2021 exploded. By the night of Sunday, January 3, the entire nation was quaking under a political cataclysm launched by Senate Majority Whip and Murang’a Senator Irungu Kang’ata.
On Monday, people woke up to newspaper headlines that the BBI was dead in Mt Kenya. Kang’ata had written a letter to President Uhuru Kenyatta warning him that the proposed referendum on the Building Bridges Initiative faced “spectacular failure” in the region.
Kumbe Kang’ata did not spend the Christmas holiday chewing goat ribs escorted with horns of muratina in the company of elders. Turned out he conducted a quiet survey, which, he told the President, showed that BBI was unpopular in the Head of State’s backyard.
The letter was leaked to the media. Excellent journalism. Dear scribe, make sure you get at least 10 high profile leaks this year. You won’t have to worry about losing your job. You will become a towering figure in the newsroom. You could get a raise (and a new title like Senior Political Reporter) while your colleagues will be taking a pay cut due to bad business. Amen?
So, Kang’ata leaked his letter? No, he said. It must have been one of the confidants he copied who notified the media. Sounds funny, doesn’t it? All the main media houses had the leak at the same time.
But Kang’ata defended the media. Unlike most politicians, he did not bang the table, with saliva flying to reporters’ faces, claiming scribes hacked his laptop. Decent politician, don’t you think? Or was he, in fact, responsible for the leak?
No matter. Of course the media feasted on the story. The Murang’a senator was inundated with calls from journalists seeking comments and clarifications. TV stations booked him for live interviews. At one point Kang’ata “was forced” to flee from reporters who tried to corner him for a comment.
And then the reactions started flowing thick and fast. Mt Kenya politicians led by ten governors lashed out at Kang’ata. What did he think he was doing addressing the President like that? As one of Jubilee’s big men in the Senate, he surely knows how to reach the President without too much drama.
No, Kang’ata only spoke the truth, others said. BBI is dead in Mt Kenya. ODM politicians read mischief. The Star reported on January 5 that the party was “restless over fears the BBI process could stall” without the support of Mt Kenya.
The Taifa Leo editors on Kimathi Street were more blunt: “ODM wahofia Jubilee inakoroga Raila”. The kicker read: “Maafisa wataja barua ya Kang’ata kama njama ya kumsaliti kiongozi wao katika handisheki”. That front page went viral on social media.
Throughout last year, the BBI was the biggest political story in Kenya – although Covid-19 remained the top news overall. The drive to change the Constitution spearheaded by President Kenyatta and his handshake partner ODM leader Raila Odinga will remain top news in 2021 when a referendum is expected.
Kivumbi. It’s going to be a fascinating, action-packed year in Kenyan journalism – all the way until the August 2022 General Election is concluded. Grab your ringside seat to witness, record and publish the first drafts of history.
