In a meeting with a delegation from Trans Nzoia County, the Kenya Kwanza top leadership made a beeline for Odinga’s planned Monday protest (Citizen TV’s Chemutai Goin, March 15). What! President Ruto and deputy Gachagua issued stern warnings to Raila at State House over his protests, according to the report. To “make a beeline for” means to hurry directly to. Kenya Kwanza top leaders hurrying to Raila’s maandamano? Top Citizen TV reporter clearly hashikanishi hii phrase manze.
Physical exercises and healthy diet can help us reduce disease burden (Standard op-ed, March 13, p.16). Of course. But what raised our eyebrows was the name and designation of the author: “Jenipher Oduor, Knut secretary general”. Nothing strange about Knut secretary general writing on health and fitness, away from the trenches of labour battles. But his name is Collins Oyuu.
Rhumba legend Musa Juma shoes prove too large to fill (Standard online, March 11). Intro: More than a decade since the curtains fell on prominent Luo Benga musician Musa Juma, the charm of his music has refused to die down. Now, was Musa Juma a “Rhumba legend” or “Benga musician”? Rhumba and Benga are distinct genres of African music. Kama hujui, ask tafadhali.
Varsity, recruitment agency in deal to send 150 graduates to Germany (Nation headline, March 15, 2023). Intro: Hundreds of Kenyan graduates are set to benefit from a work placement deal that will see them connected to employment opportunities in Germany. Headline says 150, those are not “hundreds”, nanii.
Did Uhuru team pay Sh6b for air in Telkom deal? (Standard splash, March 15, 2023). Kicker: In spite of money having been paid under the emergency cover, Office of the Attorney General says it has not received the shares and does not even know who the money was paid to. Neither do Mombasa Road journalists. Could The Standard readers please help find out the truth? Thank you very much. Or what exactly is the point of this non-story?
Mwende moved to court saying her rights and freedoms were violated when she was sacked in May 2022 allegedly over abuse of office in regards teachers promotion payrolls (People Daily, March 17, p.2). Something is off here, definitely. What’s “abuse of office in regards teachers promotion payrolls”?
Nine perceived rebel Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Members of Parliament have asked their electorates to keep off Monday’s mass action called by their party leader Raila Odinga saying they will not attend it either (Citizen Digital, March 17). Perceived rebels? Who did the “perceiving”? The nine are rebels, as a matter of fact, having defied their party leader.
The committee was told that most of the councillors who served in different times between 1963 and 2012 were leading destitute lives despite being owed cumulatively Sh2.4 billion by the National Treasury (People Daily, March 17, p.3). Misuse of the preposition “despite” turns the cause-and-effect logic of this sentence on its head. The former civic leaders are destitute “because of” of being owed the billions, not “despite”. To use “despite”, they would be doing fine without the money.
