News consumption is a daily dosage that every human being in their curious nature consume. Journalists as members of the fourth state are trusted and charged with the responsibilities of being a watchdog to the government and serving the interests of the public.
Over time especially after the last general elections,the media in Kenya has been under severe criticism from a section of the public who accuse them if abandoning their mandate of being a watchdog and instead dancing to the tunes of the present government.
For the first time ever in history an elections body in this case IEBC thanked the journalists for being “good partners” in their coverage of the news. This was read as an appreciation to the media for the role play in sliding aside key discrepancies in the election and didn’t dare ask a question. It will also be remembered that for the first time ever in history,the journalists supposedly had no question to ask the commissioners during the final press conferences prior to the announcement of the presidential winner. As we learn the journalists on orders from above were compromised against “questioning” anything.
Every government has it’s own sets of secrets and propaganda tools as well that they use to control the perceptions of the public and that doesn’t make Kenya an exception case. For a long time the National Security Intelligence Service has been controlling the media through some underground and never told moves.
The NSIS working in the shadows of the media have been able to accomplish their goals by relaying their agendas through these vessels. Its of worthy noting that in the process of accomplishing an agenda both existent and non existent items can be made up to go up in the media.
Agenda setting is one mandate that the media is served with in simple terms,the media decides on what people talk about by trending a topic. This opportunity has been largely exploited by the security agency in introducing trends that serves best their agenda.
For example it would appear normal to any person but the recent dramas Kenya has witnessed in the past week is a well planned steps in converting people’s emphasis on the VAT debate which was giving the government uneasy times during it’s prime discussions period. Realise how all of a sudden the media isn’t airing any VAT related story yet flooding the airwaves with Kidero-Shebesh drama? Its called agenda setting and the media decided to push aside the crucial vat debate to this.
The issue of the media playing puppet to NSIS has not been going well with many credible journalists who feel compromised but have no option to serve the masters’ call in fear of being jobless. For a long time the agency has been controlling the news the public gets but this is a highly secretive plan that is done behind doors.
Nairobi Exposed for the first time through confessions from various highly placed journalists in the key media outlets in Kenya will reveal how NSIS has been able to lay their hands on and control the media.
Due to the sensitivity of the matter we’ve decided to conceal the true identities of the sources. A sub editor based at the NMG news desk narrates to NE his experience on how the NSIS has been able to puppet them around.
” its not that all journalists are corrupt as many out there perceive,the truth is most of the times our hands are tied up,as much as we are the watchdogs it comes a time when orders pour down from the executives and you have no option but heed the call”
Its emerging that the NSIS write up stories appropriate to the agenda they want to serve,what follows is giving these stories to highly refined editors who spices and replenishes the stories to a fine piece then from here its then distributed to various media households.
Once the stories hit the media desks they are simply credited to any writer as the owner. Point to note,the stories are just downloaded and copy pasted as they are,nothing is to be distorted. Now by attributing the NSIS’ made storm to a journalist makes it opaque for the reader to tell the truth. In this circle the agency has been able to serve it’s agenda without any sweat.
A perfect example of this scheme is best illustrated by the recent trend that the ICC bowed down to the president’s call against simultaneously appearing at Hague with his DP. Unknown to the public this was a well choreographed scheme by the NSIS to portray the president as victor. We will show you how it was executed.
Last week it was reported on various media outlets that the president and his deputy would appear simultaneously at the ICC between 12th Nov and 13th Dec. On the last day before Ruto travelled to the Hague,the president released a strong message to the ICC warning that there won’t be a cooperation from the government should they expect both of them to appear before the courts same days.
The next few days the ICC judges would then release a statement that ruled out any possibility of the two executives appearing before the court on same days. What followed back home was jubilation,celebrations that the court “caught cold” and chickened out,bowing down to the president and agreeing to hold their hearings separately. And that’s just what the NSIS subjected.Mission accomplished. Now to what happened behind scenes.
According to a source based at the standard print news desk the story about the two leader appearing before the court emanated from the NSIS headquarters just like rest of the stories do. And without cross checking and verifying facts the story having been distributed to other networks went on air in its raw form telling Kenyans that Uhuru and Ruto will have to out of the country between 12th Nov and 13th Dec hence a “power vacuum”
This drew debates from various corners just as intended by the NSIS but the climax came several hours before Ruto travelled to the Hague. Uhuru said in strongest terms that it won’t happen that the two will appear before the court as the “calendar” was saying. You notice at one point he emphasized that he was talking as the president and not as a suspect. This was a meant to send the message that he has authority and the international community should know.
The court then ruled out any possibility of that the two would appear same days begging the answer was the alleged calendar lying or did the court chicken out?
As we find out,there were never any calendar released laying out the president’s appearance dates,what can be confirmed is the court had only released the schedules for Ruto’s and Sang’s schedules for
phase I as September 10 to
October 4 and from October 14 to November 1. The Trial for Case 2(Uhuru) schedule had not
been released then and to cause a stir the NSIS cooked up the alleged simultaneous appearance dates.
They knew the courts would then offer a clarification on the matter but at first they wanted to cause a stir and give the president some authority. Send a firm warning,the ICC gives clarification then it appear like the ICC bowed down to the president hence give him more authority in the view of the public.
The trend of agenda setting and perception manipulations continues on the social media as well. Still on the same ICC matter,you notice there are certain influential figures deliberately trending #FailedTrials as the Hague proceedings transpires. Micro viewing of the scenario sees the hidden hand of the agency in manipulating the perception of the trial and discrediting the prosecution and while at it,painting a better picture of the accused.
There's no story that cannot be told. We cover the stories that others don't want to be told, we bring you all the news you need. If you have tips, exposes or any story you need to be told bluntly and all queries write to us [email protected] also find us on Telegram
