Getting the truth out of Kenyan politicians

From: "Emmanuel M. Rotich"

When the then US president, Ronald Reagan, was introducing George Bush (senior) at a public function, he described him as ‘a man who would be calm under fire. A man who would know the right range of questions when the tough questions came”

The same cannot be said of our Kenyan politicians. They need to be angered just a little, for them to blurt out what is in their minds, usually with devastating consequences. First it was Michuki when put under a little pressure by journalists to explain the Standard raid he came out with the infamous ‘rattlesnake’ remark.

Then there was Kalonzo Musyoka. When he stood to speak at a public rally in Khadija Grounds in Mombasa, some of Raila’s supporters started chanting pro-Raila slogans “nyundo!, nyundo”. A visibly angry Kalonzo handed the microphone to the next speaker without the usual introduction. Story: http://kumekucha.blogspot.com/2007/07/kalonzo-nyundo-incident-at-odm-rally-in.html

The latest in this public show of anger is none other than Raila Odinga himself in Meru on 27 October, 2007. When youths threw stones at Raila and his team, Raila told the people of Mt. Kenya that they will cry once he became president. With an attitude like this, why does Raila appear surprised that the people of this region do not like him? Why does he wonder where Raila-Phobia came from? If he can say such this during campaigns when he should at least be pretending to be nice, what can he do if president? The following is a link to the story Note: is has been sugar-coated since The Standard is an ODM-friendly newspaper: http://eastandard.net/news/?id=1143976615

MEDIA BIAS

Kenya’s two main media houses Standard/KTN and the Nation/NTV have decided not only to be anti-PNU and the anti-government in the on going campaigns but also to be blatantly pro-ODM. To give the devil his due, they are trying to give equal TV airtime and newspaper real estate to both PNU and ODM.  The problem is the reporting appears to be completely from ODM’s point of view.  Editorials and opinions in the Nation or the Standard could as well as have been penned by Anyang Nyon’go or William Ruto. Even hitherto respectable cartoonists like Maddo and Gado are not making any efforts to appear impartial. Like the KBC of yesteryears where the news always begun with ‘Rais Moi, leo…”  News in KTN and NTV these days begin with ‘The ODM leader, Raila Odinga…”  We understand the Standard/KTN have been on a revenge mission since Michuki’s ‘Operation’ at the standard. What is Nation’s excuse?