MACHAKOS Governor Alfred Mutua has slammed the media for allegedly allowing themselves to be used to push a certain narrative by those seeking to exclude the ordinary Kenyans from the national discourse.
While appearing on Citizen TV interview on May 20, Governor Mutua cited the new Chief Justice Martha Koome’s story where major newspapers had a similar headline.
Mutua wondered how editors of major newspapers could think and use the same headline for a story.
“If you look at the newspaper headlines today on [Justice] Koome’s story, all are talking about full in-tray awaiting… I am wondering how all the sub-editors were thinking about the same headline when doing the story,” said Mutua.
Mutua alleged that there could be something fishy going on in media houses, like some form of graft perpetuated by a group of people who want to control the national discourse.
He said the similarity of stories and headlines in major newspapers could be as a result of compromise and external forces out to micromanage national debates.
Mutua also took issue with newspapers carrying stories about the same people daily under the guise of wanting to sell newspapers, saying it is not only the same people who sell.
“We cannot have the same pictures, same people in our newspapers. This is corruption.”
He challenged the media houses to cover everyone and be objective in their duty if they want to serve Kenyans better.
“Kenyans deserve better, not the same people on the headline daily. The media houses are compromised to favour certain people,” he said.
Mutua also condemned the recent violence witnessed during the Bonchari and Juja by-elections which were won by ODM’s Pavel Oimeke and People’s Empowerment Party’s George Koimburi
The governor said police harassment witnessed in Bonchari and Juja were sending the wrong signal in the country ahead of the 2022 General Election.
The party leader of the Maendeleo Chap Chap (MCC) party recently launched his 2022 presidential bid for 2022.