MR. RAILA, SORRY, THE MEDIA WILL SURVIVE

While human history is made purely of tribulations and jubilations, the greatest threat in any one’s life is when once a friend turns into own wounded enemy. The Kenyan Media has had it rough historically in its long walk to freedom. During the Moi regime, many media houses and personalities faced all sorts of harassment. Journalists and writers were frequently harassed, their homes ransacked and sometimes their lives put to danger. The tall terror and dreaded Nyayo house, hosted some media personalities and the torture chambers injected its full pangs of atrocities in the life of these men and women of the fourth Estate.

The renowned and seasoned journalist, the late Giceru spent part of his adult life in wheel chair courtesy of state repression and brutality. That is the kind of the cloud that has darkened this sensitive and informative fraternity. So the media which has been the voice and the eye of a common man even when times are tough and rough has not had its share of success so easily.

In the recent past, Kenyans thought that the dark days are gone and forgotten and that is why they stood up against the so called communication bill 2009, because nobody wants to imagine a country without a free media. But on Sunday, in Kamkunji Kibera something happened that stirred the anger and surprised the emotions of this nation Raila Odinga made a threat; a threat to our Media fraternity.

The threats unleashed by Mr. Raila claiming to a crowd that he would teach certain media outlet a lesson should not be treated lightly. It should not be treated with any form of simplicity but as complex and deep rooted spikes erected on the slippery road of the democratic gains made by the country and media fraternity in general.

The most disheartening thing is that the threats have been issued at a time when the country is surging forth from the disdains of the post election violence manifested in hunger and starvation, a calamity that has badly rocked this nation to the core. But the worst is that it comes from someone who has been purporting and masquerading to be a true defender of democracy. As if that is not enough, he can afford to deny a day later that he was misquoted. If a handful crowd and little power could make Raila behaved as he did then we better count him as a spent force. Kenya need new and untainted leaders who will not only recognize own mistakes but also accept to be corrected.

It is said that power corrupts, and that absolute power corrupts absolutely. And true to the words, Raila has shown exactly that he can forget that first of the role the media played on him and the crew in the eve of the year 2007, when he had no friend except the Media who highlighted the anomalies within the ECK. He has forgotten the many other battles that the media has helped him to fight.

Allow me to remind Raila of a story which is told in the bible of a king named Soul. Soul loved music so much from a young man called David, until such a time that he came to realize that David was not just a music boy, but a king material. He decides to turn against David, but in the end this did not deter David from becoming a king.

Just like the story of David and Soul, Media will survive and occupy its rightful position in this society, in this age. The media survived the gallows of Nyayo house and Nyayo regime, the media survived Michuki and the Arturs; it will definitely survive Raila Odinga.

Raila’s threat is like a kick of a dying horse; a horse that served the master so well only to throw vain kicks when it is on her homestretch to death. But Raila should be reminded that the Media role is not to protect anyone, its mandate is to inform societies and transform communities. Besides, the days that the culture of impunity survived are long gone. Kenyan has a right to know what or who causes havoc, hunger and starvation. It is suppose to generate for public knowledge all filth that litter all government ranks and departments. Media safeguards the people and hold leaders into accountability. In one day, Raila having denied that he was misquoted, he need to be reminded that he even used his finger to tap the said media house that he took the offence with. Through media citizens have a right to know what goes round the life and service of any public office holder and we have a right as a people to be served well by those we call leaders.

Additionally, if Raila and other leaders think that the media is the only enemy they have, then they will have to do their homework better. The National Youth Convention, The Partnership for change, the One Million Change Makers, the Mass Group, the 3 Million Movement, The Liberators Movement, G’ Pange generation, Make Obama in Kenya initiative, are just to mention a few of the organized peoples groups which are willing to see a change of leadership anchored on generational promise and power. The writing are on the wall, and we must be grateful that the coalition government occurred, for it has given people a chance to know the true characters of all our entire leadership; they have one character in common; striving in threats, impunity, corruption and bad governance.

To the Media, let it be known to you that you are not alone in this. Kenyans will stand firm with you and the talk in the streets bear no good report to the politicians. Media will stand and survive no matter what they do and say.

Yours faithfully

Signed

OULU GPO

P.O Box 4598-00200
Nairobi,Kenya
Tel. 202 202 6
Mobile. +254 722 214 869

“Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you’re a man,you take it.” Malcolm X

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Date: Mon, 26 Jan 2009 13:11:19 -0800 [03:11:19 PM CST]
From: “Oulu Paul O.”
Subject: RAILA JOINS MICHUKI AS A PRIME ENEMY OF THE MEDIA