The People Daily published a news report under the headline, “Former CJ Maraga mixed signals over his political moves” (February 10, p.3).
“Retired Chief Justice David Maraga is sending signals that he will contest the presidency in the next General Election, the People Daily can reveal.”
Reveal? How did the hard-working journos at PD dig up this hidden gem – for that is what “reveal” suggests? Well, they went online and concocted the story from Maraga’s post on X after he attended a church service in Kibra.
The paper made no attempt whatsoever to find Maraga and ask him about the “mixed signals over his political moves”. The story covered two-thirds of the page with the opinions of several politicos – except Maraga himself.
But PD is not alone in telling made up stories about Maraga or similar ones. All the news reports in recent months about the former CJ’s supposed political plans or those of former Interior CS Fred Matiang’i – sometimes big front-page splashes – are written and published without a word from the subject of the news. How professional is that?
Matiang’i is alleged to have hired a foreign firm to boost his campaign. Not a word from him. He was two week ago supposedly endorsed as Jubilee Party’s flag bearer for 2027. A three-and-half minutes report by KTN about “The Matiang’i factor” used file photos and video clips. Not a word from him.
On February 9, NTV aired a major story titled, “What’s Maraga up to?” The news anchor told viewers: “Is retired CJ David Maraga planning to vie for the presidency in 2027? Maraga’s recent activities seem to suggest that the retired CJ may be harbouring political ambitions. Kenyans on social media [are] calling on him to go for the top seat in the upcoming presidential contest.”
NTV’s David Muthoka spent a whole six minutes studying Maraga’s posts on X and quoting political analysts about his chances of winning the presidential election. Not a word from the man himself. Has Maraga declared he will vie? NTV had no idea.
Muthoka ended his story with a piece to camera: “It remains to be seen whether retired Chief Justice David Maraga will be addressing rumours that he plans to run for the presidency in the coming days. Already his predecessor Willy Mutunga has dismissed reports that he will be running for the presidency. Will Maraga be following in the footsteps of Mutunga or will he be charting his own path?”
Why not look for Maraga and ask him? Is it impossible to find him? He was photographed meeting Gen Z activists and in a church in Kibra. What is the news in the NTV story? Are viewers better informed about Maraga’s rumoured intentions?
Back in October, NTV ran a story about Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro. “Since the crumbling of the Finance Bill of 2024 and now to the impeachment debate of Rigathi Gachagua, Ndindi Nyoro’s silence is deafening. Where is he and what has he been up to?”
A viewer would expect NTV to trace Ndindi to his hideout and ask him why he was lying low. But no. Reporter Brian Muchiri did not tell viewers where Ndindi was. Instead, he spent nearly four minutes reviewing the MP’s previous activities.
“Insiders within William Ruto’s corner indicate that Ndindi’s silence cost him the Deputy President nominee position and the position subsequently landed on Prof Kithure Kindiki’s laps,” Muchiri reported.
Not a word from Ndindi. “According to sources from Ndindi’s corner, he has been operating from his office in the capital Nairobi with occasional visits to his constituency in Kiharu to launch projects and listen to his constituents.”
For real? NTV broadcasts from Nairobi. Yet its reporter quotes unnamed sources about an MP operating from an office in the same city but he can’t go to that office and talk to Ndindi himself and tell a better story?
Journalists do not report rumours. They investigate every claim to establish the truth. It is lazy and an unacceptable dereliction of duty to simply reproduce social media content or rely on “sources” without any attempt to independently verify.
The Code of Conduct for the Practice of Journalism in Kenya is clear about publishing “a fair, accurate and an unbiased story on matters of public interest.”
If we hear rumours that Matiang’i or Maraga wants to run for president in 2027, we don’t have a news story until we have heard from the horse’s mouth. If Ndindi or any public figure has suddenly gone mute, no number of political pundits can fully tell us what exactly is going on with him. Look for the politico and ask him.
See you next week!
