Dex Mumo
Journalism in Kenya is currently on edge; from left to right, the media is making waves. But what is all the fuss about? This is what journalism should be working on: Giving reasons why everything is happening in that fashion. Here’s the downer, though: there is too much emphasis on reporting the events rather than seeking the core.
There is no doubt that the country is experiencing intense political fever, but the press should not respond to this by simply following the lead. What the media should be doing, instead, is to uncover why a particular politician is acting in a certain way or holding the politician accountable. That’s how journalism should be felt within politics.
Let’s do a quick case study:
Figure 1 Figure 2
Looking into Daily Nation’s headline on Thursday, March 13, 2025 (Figure 1), there’s no doubt the headline is charming. It reads “Impunity,” underscored in a bolded and magnified font. How could you resist the urge and curiosity to know more about this impunity? Right? Now, on to the pursuance of the substance, Daily Nation wrote, “The routes taken by the President’s convoy are usually among the best guarded. But for three consecutive days, a group of criminals created a gangsters’ paradise, marring President William Ruto’s city tour by robbing and assaulting civilians.”
This information was already in the public domain by the time Daily Nation was publishing this e-paper. This is bound to the existence of social media. What should have this media giant done instead? It’s simple; the media giant should have told the readers why the “impunity” occurred, who and how they were affected, or what the security system was doing to ensure justice was served.
The Standard (Figure 2), followed suit on Sunday, March 16, 2025 with the headline, “Greedy watchdog.” Another intriguing one, no? The media house proceeded to elaborate, “President William Ruto’s regime has been tested and found wanting. Opposition leader Raila Odinga has identified a gap that he has fully exploited. Raila is deeply entrenched in government, but in Parliament, his allies control critical oversight committees as he seeks to expand his Cabinet portfolio.”
Once again, this is information Kenyans and the global community already know. Social media already broke this news. It was the Standard’s responsibility to inform us about what we don’t know regarding Raila’s involvement in the Kenya Kwanza government and how this status quo affects or impacts the lives of its readers.
The mainstream media has set a path that other media houses feel obliged to follow, however flawed the path may appear. That is why the watchdog needs to have a watchdog. It is time for the media to free itself from the chains of “he said, she said, they added…” kind of journalism and unaccountable clickbait.
Peel back the layers and go beyond the surface.
