It’s only fair to let Moses Kuria have his say on TV

Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria who has always been a good sport and accepts my interview invites even when he knows it will not be a walk in the park. I have always promised him to a tough but fair vigorous debate about the issues that divide us. PHOTO | FILE

What you need to know:

  • I was amused by the anger because most of the outraged people forgot that we’ve been here before.
  • After my conversation with MPs Alfred Keter and Sonia Birdi in December 2013, the condemnation was just as widespread and cacophonous.
  • Many viewers of "NTV Weekend Edition" were scandalised. The Nation Media Group switchboard was inundated with calls and at least two board members got in touch to express their displeasure..
  • Their main gripe was that the Gatundu South legislator had struck a conciliatory tone, yet I kept pressing him on his history with hate speech. They were right, of course. We did battle about why he couldn’t speak about his four different ongoing cases. .

I stand by my interview with Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria on Saturday night. All of it. If I were to do it again, I wouldn’t change a thing.

For every action, there is a social media overreaction and this was no different. I was amused by the anger because most of the outraged people forgot that we’ve been here before.

After my conversation with MPs Alfred Keter and Sonia Birdi in December 2013, the condemnation was just as widespread and cacophonous.

Then, like now, I refused to apologise, and for good reason. Politicians in Kenya are handled with such [tenderness] that any serious pushing back on their rhetoric is met with resistance from the same public it harms.

That is why we continue to call former MPs and failed aspirants “mheshimiwa” even when they never merited that honour, to begin with.

The other reason is that political journalism in Kenya is still seen from the “your tribe betrays you” ethnic school of thought. Al Jazeera English’s Mehdi Hasan did a much-praised interview with Cord leader Raila Odinga in May. If he were Kenyan and the outlet a national one, the outrage machine would have kicked in and duly vilified him.

This homestretch to the 2017 General Election is starting to feel a lot like the last cycle. The same political narrow-mindedness and stereotyping of reporters is back in full swing.

This is not my first rodeo. I have been demonised after every interview that went against the grain and held power to account. Kenyans hold their leaders with such undeserved reverence, yet they are also deeply dissatisfied with their performance, according to just about every poll you can find.

It is exactly because of the former that the latter still holds. You can’t give god-like status to your political leadership and still keep them in check. “I didn’t win tonight, but you failed,” Kuria told me by phone after our interview. “Your own-goal was my gain,” he said, but agreed he would join me again in future.

REFORMED HATEMONGER

Many viewers of "NTV Weekend Edition" were scandalised. The Nation Media Group switchboard was inundated with calls and at least two board members got in touch to express their displeasure.

Their main gripe was that the Gatundu South legislator had struck a conciliatory tone, yet I kept pressing him on his history with hate speech. They were right, of course. We did battle about why he couldn’t speak about his four different ongoing cases.

Three cases, he corrected, saying that was a 25 per cent overstatement, a sign that I was poorly trained and did not research properly. The lawmaker couldn’t respond to why he repeatedly said incendiary things that were likely to offend one community and fan tribal animosities.

He maintained that he would not discuss the cases, because the matters were still sub judice, that is, under consideration in court. I figured that was a convenient excuse and told him as much, especially since he had not refrained from making further “dangerous utterances” despite those ongoing suits.

To his credit, Kuria has always been a good sport and accepts my interview invites even when he knows it would not be a walk in the park. I have always promised him a tough but fair, vigorous debate about the issues that divide us. Long after many of my colleagues and viewers had complained that he was a hateful, divisive figure, we kept inviting him to comment on various issues.

HIGHER STANDARD

He represents an area that includes President Uhuru Kenyatta’s family among its constituents and seems to have the ear of the country’s leadership. Surely a man like that is worth listening to, even when he has made a name for himself by being offensive? And if he is worth listening to, it is completely fair game to hold him to a higher standard.

“Larry Madowo did a brilliant job on Moses Kuria; He saw through the sickening joke of “we are ONE”. We are just gagged by LAW, give it TIME!” tweeted journalist Dennis Onsarigo.

He was in the minority, as most of the comments looked a lot like this one from Malcolm Kangwara on Facebook: “Still not matured as a journalist..bure kabisa.”

The same people who had criticised us for giving a hatemonger airtime in the first place were now overwhelmingly on his side. That is why I dipped into the feedback only briefly, and with good humour.

“Larry, that was your worst interview when I really saw you consistently BULLY Moses Kuria,” Daniel Argut told me. If that is bullying, colour me surprised. Incidentally, the condemnation came from both sides of the political divide. So Moses Kuria was right on one thing: Our differences are much narrower than we imagine.

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Was Mutunga the best or worst CJ? 

LAST THURSDAY was Dr Willy Mutunga’s last day as chief justice and president of the Supreme Court of Kenya. “Willy is Kenya’s best CJ since independence,” tweeted senior counsel Ahmednasir Abdullahi. “Disregard the cries of corrupt lawyers and other orphans.”

On Facebook, advocate Donald Kipkorir had an entirely different analysis of the 69-year-old’s tenure, describing it as “hopeless, fickle, uninspiring and rudderless.”

It is instructive to note that Kipkorir was former Chief Registrar Gladys Shollei’s lawyer in the great public spectacle that was her exit from the Judiciary. Meanwhile, Abdullahi was a member of the Judicial Service Commission.

“Mutunga’s leadership was like a séance; leadership in the dark of night with few trusted co-conspirators, the Consigliere," opined Kipkorir. «He leaves with no lasting legacy other than buildings.»

Four days before he retired, Dr Mutunga revisited his bandit economy comments, decrying the corruption in every level of government. "I am not running from any cartels, I am not scared of them," he said after a thanksgiving service in Korogocho.

His exit is all the more significant because of his decision to leave a year before he turns 70 while his colleagues, justices Kalpana Rawal and Philip Tunoi fought to stay on.

*****

America’s gun problem needs urgent solution

AMERICAN CONSERVATIVES are rabidly protective of their Second Amendment: the right to bear arms. Yet the Orlando nightclub massacre was the 173rd mass shooting in the US in 2016 alone. Let that sink in: 173 mass shootings in just 164 days. It turned out to be the worst in the country’s history after Omar Mateen, a 29-year gunman who had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, shot at hundreds of revellers at the Pulse gay nightclub during Latin Night, the most popular day. “We know enough to say this was an act of terror and act of hate,” President Obama said in an address to the nation from the White House. Even though the FBI interviewed him in 2013 and 2014 after he expressed sympathy for a suicide bomber, he was still able to acquire an assault rifle legally and later kill at least 50 people. When will America realise that they have a major gun problem? 

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Larry, I am keen to watch Chris Evans  now that you have written so highly about him. I’ll be honest and confess that for a moment, I thought BBC would give in to Jeremy Clarkson’s demands and give him back his  job. I was holding my breath to find out whether BBC would get a host worthy of Top Gear. I can only imagine how nerve-wracking it must have been for the show’s producers to find the  ideal host for this internationally acclaimed show.

Clarkson’s shoes will be hard to fill, given that he had been on the show for more than 20 years.  The whole scenario is really intimidating and I would like to salute Chris Evans for taking up the challenge.  Clearly, we are all replaceable. Most people would either shy away from the challenge or take it, only to maintain the previous host’s style (a good example being what happens on our local stations).

Although I am still a little skeptical that show’s ratings will be as high as during Clarkson’s time, I’m crossing my fingers and toes that I will not be disappointed, going by your views.

Wendi  Kibaara

*****

I am an ardent fan of Top Gear. That said, the new one isn’t as captivating as it previously was. I Loved Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May because of their understanding of the motoring world and the way it works; the humor was a big part of the reason  I watched it over and over again.

Coming to the new one, the changes haven’t really spiced up the show. The interviews with the stars are not as interesting, not to mention that the Hell’s Kitchen chef sounded less enthusiastic this time round. He cursed a little less, yet that’s what he is known for. 

Chris Evans nearly didn’t even fit in Clarkson’s shoes but Matt LeBlanc tried and made a better presenter. The challenge in the first episode wasn’t as suspense filled. 

It’s true this new version isn’t as good to some degree; it needs double the number of presenters to keep it going.

I don’t know what the other episodes will be like but I can’t wait for The Grand Tour.

Philip Mutange