By Ghost Writer
Going after Uhuru (Standard, May 5 p.1). Blurb: Never before in the history of the country has a former president faced intimidation and harassment by the regime in power…Ruto’s government continues to vilify and disrespect him, with the latest incident being a move to strip Uhuru of his constitutional perks through a Bill sponsored by Nandi Senator Samson Cherarkey – another of Ruto’s sycophants. Order, Standard, order! Wacha matusi, just report the news.
Going after Uhuru’s hefty perks (Daily Nation, May 5 p.1). Blurb: Angered by former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s dabbling in politics, including criticism of President Ruto, the ruling coalition’s leaders have revived the campaign to block his State-funded benefits…Ati an outspoken former Prezo who still heads a party is “dabbling in politics”? Nah, to dabble in something is to do it lightly without much seriousness. That is not what Uhuru is doing, is it?
Fresh details have emerged that the woman linked to the mysterious death of prominent physician Dr Job Obwaka was his secret long-term lover and that they shared a meal and became intimate hours before he died on Friday (Standard, May 5, p.2). Was “became intimate” necessary? What value does this explicit detail add to the story, even if it was stated in court? Ethically, it’s enough and decent to report that the two were long-term lovers and shared a meal. Whatever else they did could be inferred. Tukae tu wangwana.
Para 3: In a dramatic twist, Wangari’s lawyer Levi Munyeri confirmed the romantic relationship, noting that the affair was known even to Dr Obwaka’s family. So, how was Wangari the doc’s “secret long-term lover” if the affair was so widely known?
President William Ruto’s Sh4.8 trillion budget reveals a carefully choreographed political strategy where every allocation carries both a fiscal cost and a calculated political outcome (Star, May 7, p.4). Sawa. Para 3: The details buried deep in the National Treasury estimates show a budget designed not just to run the economy, but to secure political survival. What does this last part mean? That Prezo is gasping for air in a suffocating political space, si ndio? And that is the Star’s opinion.
Para 4: At the top of the political spending is Sh18 billion for the fertiliser subsidy programme, standing out as a direct appeal to the millions of farmers. Okay. Kitambo, zama za kale/zama za Pepe Kalle, the media told people what to think about; now it tells them what to think.
The Court of Appeal has reduced from Sh2 million to just over Sh700,000 an award that was awarded to a former Barclays (now Absa) Bank employee following his sacking (Star, May 7, p.9). Ati an award that was awarded? Urgh, jarring repetition. Just say Sh700,000 awarded to blah, blah.
Key ODM leaders sit on the fence as wrangles intensify (Star, May 7, p.6). Intro: A number of key ODM figures have adopted a cautious, middle-ground approach as internal wrangles continue to rock the party, exposing deep divisions between rival factions. Wewe, fence-sitting is not the same as adopting “a cautious, middle-ground approach”. The fence sitter poses as neutral, undecided, not taking sides. Middle-ground approach means making a compromise between two extreme, opposing viewpoints. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
