The Daily Nation on March 20 ran a story that ranked high in public interest: “Where is Governor Kihika? Nakuru residents petition county assembly”.
The Nakuru governor had not been seen in public for months. Indeed, the public had every right to know where their elected leader was.
But on a closer look, the story by Mercy Koskei failed the credibility test.
The intro said that “residents of Nakuru County” had given their county assembly an ultimatum to clarify who was running the county.
The story added that “the residents” presented a “formal petition” to the assembly.
Who were the residents? Who initiated the petition? And who presented the petition to the Assembly.
The story answered none of these questions. And veracity died. Did the Nation verify this petition?
Yes, the Nation published an illustrative photo of 15 young men in classic youth photoshoot poses. The caption said: “Nakuru residents at the county assembly on March 20, 2025, where they filed a petition demanding answers to the prolonged absence of Governor Susan Kihika”
Who were these youth? Where did they come from? Who organised them?
The story said the youth were led to the assembly by Kimori Evans. Who is Evans?
A second photo showed a woman writing onto a sheet of paper, a young man watching by her side. The caption said: “Alvy Aoko and Glen Shivachi sign the petition …”
Who are Aoko and Shivachi? Was it possible to get any reactions from members of the county assembly to the move to petition the assembly? And what would be the next steps in the process? Just to give the story some depth.
How did the Nation get wind of this story? Who tipped off the writer about the imminent petition?
By not answering these questions, how could the Nation know it didn’t walk into local political feuds in Nakuru and become a sucker on one side?
So, a perfectly good public-interest story turned out with a limp. It needed crutches, props to keep it standing on the high ground of credibility and the basics of journalism.
