Official spokesmen not reliable sources of information

January 28, 2008 in Blogs, Election07, Politics by Mentalacrobatics | 4 comments

Sometimes it feels sweet to be right. Other times it sucks to be right.

In June last year I was heavily criticised for writing a blog post with the title “Suicide Bomber Hits Nairobi” when downtown Nairobi was rocked by an explosion. I had sourced that information from a Reuters report which quoted a policeman saying that the explosion looked like the work of a suicide bomber.

The criticism I received focused on my use of the words “suicide bomber” and centred on the argument that it was irresponsible for me to report the explosion as a bombing until the police had released a statement. I wrote a post titled, “In Defence of Bloggers” in which I argued that in Kenya currently it is COMPLETELY RIDICULOUS to sit around and wait for a statement from the police or indeed from the government. Where was the official police statement on the Mount Elgon clashes and where was the official police statement on the Mungiki beheadings I wondered at the time? I argued that the Official Government Spokesman and Official Police Spokesman are not reliable sources of information. This was obvious to me then, it is obvious to all now.

Kenyan TV has shown clips of young men being gunned down by police and the police spokesman states that he believes the clips have been manipulated to look like something out of “Rambo”. The country is burning and the official Government spokesman went on TV to say that there are a “few skirmishes here and there.”

I am attending a media conference on Wednesday where I will speak on behalf on bloggers and believe me I will repeat that bloggers are the ultimate source of primary information in Kenya today.

And despite my argument being proved right by time (after all those who led the criticism against me then are now leading the insults against the official spokesmen) I wish that we had a mature political system where at least the police would realise that they work not for a single political party or regime. But that they work for the country.

Sometimes it sucks to be right.

  1. Blupanther’s avatar

    Blupanther on January 29, 2008 at 6:24 pm

    I am grateful to the bloggers for keeping us informed in the time when everyone else seems to be giving us news to pacify us and not inform.

  3. Ms K’s avatar

    Ms K on January 30, 2008 at 11:38 am

    I think Alfred Mutua should be fired immediately!!!!

    I am appalled when i hear people defend Mutua saying that he is doing a stellar job protecting the government that has employed him.

    Oh man, I want to have a major rant but I won’t. Too much work to do.

    As a student of PR, I know spokesmen are not supposed to spew rubbish and obscure the truth merely to protect their employer. I know that, and Mutua makes me sick to my stomach. He and Kiraithe are completely abusing the key tenets of public relations and they both make me sick. They should be embarassed and ashamed to proclaim themselves professionals.

    ARGH!!!!!!!!!

  4. Arlette Franks’s avatar

    Arlette Franks on March 30, 2008 at 3:12 pm

    I’ll do the major rant for you….
    South Africa seems to be following the same bizarre pattern … we are awash with plea-bargained criminal and corrupt types in our government, thanks to the ‘we take no individual blame’ approach of our ‘collective’ ruling party. Officialdom can no longer be trusted to be giving us real information, and certainly not truth. Crime and safety and corruption are the most talked-about subjects in SA, closely followed by the stupid and damaging antics of officials covering up their wrongdoings by punishing the people… Every bad thing we suffer is an unintended consequence of the government/ANCs fantastic success everywhere… go figger… Ego is bigger than democracy that’s for sure… While they should be embarrassed and ashamed and ridiculed, instead they are bombasts who won’t hesitate to deride, discipline, prejudice and even sue an ordinary citizen using state funds … SA’s 1994 dream has become a demockracy, and if you don’t like it they tell you to leave… ‘go home’ (where is my ‘home’, if not here, after well over 100yrs in this country?)… Our ruling party is full of couldn’t care less cadres. When ‘freedom and democracy’ came to SA they just left plenty of women and children behind in poverty in many African countries that had protected and helped them during the banned / exile period. This behaviour speaks volumes for their approach to ‘the people’… I am today ashamed of my government and ruling party, but sorely stretched for any alternative, I’ve taken to venting on blogspaces… I was quite pleased to find yours…