From: ouko joachim omolo Colleagues Home & Abroad Regional News
BY FR JOACHIM OMOLO OUKO, AJ
NAIROBI-KENYA
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2011
Since opinion polls showing Prime Minister Raila Odinga is leading below the 50 per cent + 1 mark, which means he would face a run-off with Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta taking the lead some ODM politicians and close allies to Raila argued that the Ipsos-Synovate Managing Director, Maggie Ireri and some journalists were bribed to release such reports.
While it is true that bribery and extortion are major problems in journalism, particularly in developing countries where journalists are guilty of taking bribes at press conferences, running fake press releases for cash and accepting payment from politicians, in this particular report I attend to disagree that journalists were bribed.
This however does not rule out the fact that some journalists and media houses in Kenya are being bribed, even though journalism is expected to protect and safeguard the democratic values in the society.
It is very unfortunate that after every press conference, the media will give the organizers of the meetings rough time until they part with the money.
Recently the Independent Electoral Board (IEB) warned that it would take action against any candidate who breaks electoral rules for the just ended football elections which saw former Kanu Youth wing Sam Nyamweya emerging the winner. It was alleged that journalists were bribed to write good stories in their favour prior to the elections.
While it is true that Journalists in Kenya do not usually earn big money, bribing people to write good things on their favour was against journalism ethics. Some politicians have been allegedly giving journalists some money in return for a favourable story being written, or an unfavourable story being ignored.
Journalists who are offered bribes will usually be offered them in private, especially in hotels where they meet with politicians either to tell them what they should write about them or not write. This is also so that the person attempting the bribe can later deny that it ever happened.
Some journalists would demand money to stop publishing a damaging article like what happened in Nyamira County in December 2008 where a journalist was arrested by Nyamira police chief for demanding a 20,000 Kenyan shilling bribe from the local businessman to continue his business in Nyamira.
Typically, a correspondent attached to any of the Kenyan media houses earns anything between Ksh5, 000 and Ksh10, 000 per month – and that is if the correspondent works hard around the month and gets published nearly on a daily basis. A correspondent falling short of that would easily make less than Ksh5, 000 monthly.
Recent revelation that Public Relations Officers in various ministries are actually paying journalists, can tell a lot. They have a budget for media, which is usually approved by ministers. They call it ‘meals and transport’.
The PROs cannot talk about it because they will be sacked as it is supposed to be the unofficial official thing,” according to a source. It is from that budget that PROs organise brown envelopes stuffed with KSh.1,000 for each journalist during press conferences by ministers.
There are also some journalists in the news room who monitor the headline for the following day’s news and call people whose story are to run for pay. Good example is what was reported that a particular journalist called Land Minister, Mr James Orengo to talk about one Front Page story in the Daily Nation on July 10, 2009, which read: ’Annan betrayed us, says Orengo’, but which was changed to ‘Annan ambushed us, says Orengo.’
James Orengo had been quoted as saying that Kofi Annan, the Chief mediator during Kenya’s post-election chaos, had ambushed the team of ministers who visited him in Geneva when he suddenly issued an ultimatum for the government to set up a local tribunal to try post-election violence suspects.
The point of concern among journalists at the Nation was that Minister Orengo had actually learnt about the headline story and walked to the Nation Centre to complain about it way before the newspaper went to press.
While in the Nation newsroom, Orengo had strangely been allowed to look at the story on the computer and changes to the headline were made in his presence.
Another good example of bribery was in October 2007, when the PNU secretariat gave out an envelope with KSh.10, 000 to a Standard reporter supposedly to deliver to one of the editors. The reporter had been given his own share of KSh.10, 000. Even before the reporter left the precincts of the press conference room, the editor called to ask whether he had his message.
A similar incident had also taken place at Daily Nation in the mid-1990s, involving an editor at the news desk and a long time trusted photographer. The editor had the habit of assigning particular reporters and photographers to stories involving sources that knew him and would thus set aside an envelope for the editor.
There was one particularly rich political activist from Central Province who was very close to former President Moi’s government. “The political activist would dish out envelopes to all reporters at his press conference, then at the end call out the Daily Nation correspondent to give him an envelope to deliver to the editor.
In Raila and Uhuru case as I have expressed earlier I attend to disagree- Ipsos-Synovate Managing Director, Maggie Ireri or journalist was not bribed by G7 or PNU to report that if Raila and Uhuru go for rerun, slightly more Kenyans (44 per cent) would vote for Uhuru and 41 per cent would vote for Raila.
If we go by 13 million registered voters as at January 2007, Raila will not get 50 percent as required by new constitution. He will not even get half of Rift Valley – 2,997,942 votes due to Mr William Ruto whom he dropped from Cabinet in a mini-reshuffle, replacing him with Prof Margaret Kamar.
Even though Raila could get many votes from Kamar supporters, he can hardly get many votes from his close ally, Musa Sirma who is a nominated ODM even after giving him East African Community Ministry. This is because the Sirma’s constituency MP is close ally to Ruto than Sirma himself.
Raila dropped Hellen Sambili as East African Community because she is in Ruto’s rebel camp. Raila cannot also count very much on former Industrialization Minister who is also ODM Chairman and Tinderet MP Henry Kosgey. Even though the ministry is still untouched, the fact that Mr Kosgey has remained relatively quiet since he stepped down after being charged for abuse of office leaves a lot to be desired.
Although he could get majority of votes from North Eastern – 258,693 because of what is believed that he is the one who has pushed for majority of Somali communities to take high offices in the government, Raila cannot so much on the Central – 1,956,642 votes.
His hope would be mainly on Nyanza – 1,787,289 and Western – 1,404,862 with half of Nairobi – 1,104,053 votes. The Coast – 1,049,553 votes he cannot also count much given that a good number from the region are Kambas who will definitely vote for Kalonzo Musyoka including Eastern – 2,125,644 votes.
But even in North Eastern not all will vote for him, especially the Garrissa Ijara 58 997 votes. His hope could only be Wajir Mandera 143 203 votes. It means that if there will be rerun Uhuru will beat him because the majority of Kambas who voted Kalonzo will vote for him.
Practically all the Kikuyu communities who would have voted for Martha Karua, Paul Muite, Peter Keneth, and George Saitoti will vote for Uhuru, including majority from Meru and Embu communities.
Raila will also share the Nairobi 1,114,189 votes with Uhuru, especially votes from Dagoreti and Embakasi, all who will vote for Uhuru, Kamkunji and Makadara leaving Raila with few votes in Nairobi.
The new constitution stipulates that a candidate shall be declared president if he/she receives more than half (over 50 per cent plus one) of all votes cast in an election.
It also requires that a presidential candidate garner 25 per cent of votes in each of the 47 counties.
Although not many Kalenjins will vote for Uhuru for a rerun due to what happened in 2008 presidential violence, good number of Masaai would vote for him instead of Raila given that Joseph Nkaissery has left Raila for Saitoti-it means those who voted for Saitoti will vote for Uhuru.
Apart from Masaai communities, Uhuru will also get more votes in Nakuru, Molo, Naivasha, Subukia, Rongai, Krusei and some parts of Eldama Ravine because these are predominantly Kikuyu communities in Rift Valley.
Even though other presidential aspirants such as Peter Kenneth, Raphael Tuju and others would garner less than two percent of the votes according to the survey, Raila still runs a risk of not getting more votes during the rerun in North, Kisii town and South Mugirango in Kisii-this leaves him with only West Mugirango.
The argument is that he wanted to sack Prof Ongeri, while in South Mugirango is not only because of Omigo Magara but because ODM lost by-election to Ford People Manson Oyonga Nyamweya.
While Uhuru’s support in the run off was drawn mainly from Central, Eastern and Rift Valley Provinces, an indication that his close association with members of the G7 alliance was yielding fruits, in North Mugirango has the chance given that MP Wilfred Moriasi Ombui was elected on a Kanu ticket of which Uhuru is the Chairman.
The Ipsos-Synovate opinion poll survey further indicated that 49 per cent of those who voted for President Kibaki in 2007 were most likely to vote for Uhuru in the 2012 elections while 11 per cent would vote for Raila.
The good news for Raila however, would be if G7 collapses before 2012 as Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo bluntly declared recently. According to Jirongo G7 will collapse because it is all about Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and Internal Security Minister George Saitoti as William Ruto will end up with him.
The main reason the G7 alliance is collapsing is simple. The William Ruto wing of this alliance appears to have belatedly discovered that the “Establishment” actually wants to impose Uhuru as the de facto leader of this alliance and thus its presidential flag bearer in the elections due next year, an idea that Kalenjin communities will tell Ruto off to disagree with.
Just as Kalenjins would like Ruto to be the flag bearer for 2012, is the way Kikuyu communities would like Uhuru. Kalenjins have come to realise that they are being used merely as a disposable ladder upon which Uhuru is meant to majestically climb to become the country’s fourth president.
A cross-section of leaders from Nyeri have supported Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta’s bid for presidency because unlike Ruto he is clean of corruption and a man of integrity who they claim is not tribalistic who cannot harm even a fly.
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