The resistance to President Daniel arap Moi’s dictatorship was in full swing in 1990. Foreign Minister Robert Ouko had been assassinated in February. A number of dissidents were in exile, imprisoned or dead. Only the brave defied Moi.
Certain church leaders were at the forefront of the push for an end to Kanu’s single-party autocracy and the reintroduction of multiparty democracy. The Anglican Bishop of Maseno South Henry Okullu and his Eldoret counterpart Alexander Kipsang arap Muge demanded the resignation of Moi due to widespread human rights violations during his reign of terror.
Peter Habenga Okondo, then powerful Minister for Labour, a Kanu stalwart and Moi confidante, rushed to the defence of his besieged boss. On August 12, 1990, Okondo publicly warned Okullu and Muge that if they dared set foot in Busia, his fiefdom, “they will see fire and may not leave alive”.
Muge ignored Okondo, telling journalists: “Let [Okondo] know that my innocent blood will haunt him forever and he will not be at peace, for God does not approve murder.”
On August 14, the outspoken cleric embarked on a trip to Busia with diocesan staff. The service at St Stephen’s Anglican Church was without incident. Bishop Muge led his group back to Eldoret in the evening, driving himself ahead of the small convoy.
As they approached Kipkaren River around 7pm, a milk lorry hurtling down the slope in the opposite direction smashed Muge’s car head-on. The bishop died on the spot.
The nation was shocked. Brave voices demanded Okondo’s resignation. He quit the Cabinet on August 20, 1990 “after consideration and appropriate consultations regarding words I am reported to have uttered at Busia.”
A politician putting his foot in the mouth – with disastrous consequences – is as old as Okondo. There is no indication reckless utterances will end any time soon.
Suna East MP and Raila Odinga henchman Junet Mohammed trended after an event in Nyamira on October 22 attended by the ODM party boss. A video clip went viral, showing the legislator saying:
“Baba akishinda, serikali ni yetu watu wa Nyanza. Sitaki hiyo watu wa gazeti waskie hiyo. Mutahi Kagwe anaeza kasirika. Lakini hata nyinyi mlikuwa nayo miaka ishirini na kadhalika sasa safari hii ni ya watu wa Nyanza. Mutahi utakuja apa kama mgeni (If Raila wins, the government will be owned by the people of Nyanza. I don’t want this to get to the media. Mutahi Kagwe will be upset, although even you and your people have enjoyed power for more than 20 years. This round the government is for Nyanza people. Mutahi you will soon come back here as a visitor),” he said.
The next day, October 23, K24 TV tweeted: “Junet jokingly stated that Mt Kenya residents have enjoyed the trappings of power for more than 20 years and it is now the turn of Nyanza residents”.
The People Daily online carried the headline: “Junet on the spot for jokingly saying ‘Baba akishinda, serikali ni ya watu wa Nyanza’”.
“The ODM lawmaker jokingly claimed that should former prime minister Raila Odinga bag the presidency, power will be centred in his Nyanza backyard,” the story said.
“The outspoken politician also jokingly told Health CS Mutahi Kagwe, who was also present at the event, that he will soon come to the region as a visitor once Raila rises to the helm of the country’s leadership”.
News honchos at Mediamax on Kijabe Street insisted – for no clear reason – that Junet’s remark was a joke. That is not the media’s job. If a joke needs explaining, then it certainly isn’t a joke. Is it standard practice at Mediamax to try to explain the remarks of politicians and other newsmakers?
Journalists report the news accurately and fairly. Your audience is intelligent enough to decide what to make of a newsmaker’s claims. To attempt to tell your audience how to think about a piece of news is to veer off into the slippery slope of propaganda.
Newsmakers take full responsibility for what they say. It not the duty of the media to shield them from the fire they might stoke with reckless utterances.
Back in 1990, journalists precisely reported the outrageous threats Peter Habenga Okondo made to Bishop Muge. They did not attempt to protect Moi’s powerful minister and blue-eyed boy. You shouldn’t, either. Journalists write the first draft of history.
See you next week!
