NMG LATEST SHENANIGANS ILLUSTRATE LACK OF MEDIA ETHICS

Early last week the Nation newspaper published front page story on Deputy Prez William Ruto's "excessive" spending on a charter jet. According to documents in their possession his office spent 100 mn Kshs,almost 1.2 mn $. However the government later clarified the 4 nation tour of Algeria,Gabon,Nigeria and Congo Republic necessitated the charter of a Bombardier 850 Challenger jet for just under 19 mn ksh,around 220,000 $.

Further,Ruto has demanded a retraction,failure to which he'll institute legal proceedings. The NMG CEO,Linus Gitahi conducted his own investigation and discovered to his shock the 'documents' proving the 'scandal' were sourced from one Jakoyo Midiwo,parliamentary deputy minority leader and rabid supporter of Raila Amolo Odinga,still smarting from his presidential election debacle.

A week prior,the Editorial Director,Joseph Odindo allowed the publication of a letter in the NMG owned daily,the Uganda Monitor detailing what turned out to be a fake plot to assassinate top military/intel leaders by those opposed to Prez Museveni's plans to have his son, Brig. Muhoozi Kainerugaba succeed him. 
M7 immediately closed the Monitor as well as 2 sister radio stations,Dembe and KFM. The entire NMG brass camped in Kampala for a week fruitlessly trying to meet the infuriated prez who would only respond through intermediaries that he'd only see the main shareholder,the Aga Khan.

Which brings us to the main shareholder of the NMG,the Aga Khan,nominal head of the Shia sect of Ismailis,who's also a major investor in not only Kenya but the wider E Africa region with significant holdings in tourism and health sectors.

Aga Khan hospital campus Nairobi,a truly world class facility.

The Nairobi Serena,flagship of the international Serena hotel chain.
 HH,the Aga Khan is primarily a businessman having coexisted with the first prez Jomo Kenyatta,Moi,Kibaki and would definitely want to continue under Uhuru's regime. Sources say major investments are threatened as a vindictive  out of control press agenda antagonizes E Africa's main governments. Everyone at NMG,even those uninvolved in schoolyard type plots must now pay the price.

It is thought major shareholders and most likely the Aga Khan himself will soon do a major housecleaning at E Africa's largest media network,sooner rather than later.

SUB STANDARD MEDIA DANGEROUS IN A DEVELOPING DEMOCRACY-UPDATED!!

Yesterday ,Musalia Mudavadi,a peripheral player in Kenya's presidential race  defected to the The National Alliance,the front runner,and actually the winner of the March 4th election. Immediately all manner of fanciful permutations were conjured up by media analysts and experts 'explaining' how Uhuru would step down for him,transfer his 5 million vote bank along with his considerable material support virtually escorting him effortlessly into State House.
In all these write ups the main issue of WHY Uhuru with at least 4.5 mn votes and Ruto,his running mate with 1.5 mn would take orders from a Johnny Come lately with at most 50% of his Luhya peoples 3.5 mn vote basket.Instead all these 'analysts', concentrated on how Uhuru had finally decided to endorse Musalia in a completely unprofessional manner without pretence of objectivity:(it recalled one Kwamchetsi Makokha,then Nation,political editor spent  a whole week on KTN announcing Kibaki's imminent resignation in the wake of the 2005 referendum which had been unnecessarily turned into a political contest by the ever combative Raila Odinga).

 Thursday December 6, 2012 - Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta may not run for Presidency on March 4 and will instead back Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi, DAILY POST has established.

 http://www.kenyan-post.com/2012/12/uhuru-and-ruto-to-step-down-for.html?showComment=1354793946332

Also left out was that Musalia must first undergo a nomination process to allow the TNA Coalition pick its presidential candidate. His chances are as good as any newcomer stumbling into a prepared election vehicle with the leading two heavy weights supported by millions of eager voters.
Its not just an an indictment of our media standards but a development that may have serious future consequences when reality rudely intervenes as usual with an embarrassing electoral defeat for Odinga-as in 2007 people will have been primed with unrealistic opinion polls and frankly dishonest analyses setting the stage for a rejection of results.
This time ,hopefully they won't escape the consequences of the fire and storm they helped create.

http://karanjazplace.blogspot.com/2012/10/odingas-odyssey-to-inevitable.html

Update: Finally Uhuru broke his silence as he registered in his Gatundu constituency,killing the worrying speculation. Speaking when he addressed a series of political rallies enroute to Gatundu where he registered as a voter on Saturday, the deputy premier pointed out that he will respect the coalition’s choice of presidential candidate after the nomination exercise.

http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2012/12/it-will-be-a-fair-presidential-nomination-uhuru/

Anyone who thinks Mudavadi will somehow snatch the nomination from a prepared team is either hallucinating or a hardcore ODMer. Hopefully,this episode will remind the Dear Reader of the need for a more mature type of politics,which regressed in 2007 thanks to Odinga. When you're opponent has grown the economy by 7.1% there's little but bullshit you can tell your undereducated supporters.
The situation still hasn't changed-its Uhuru's to lose. Only those fooled by the numerous witchcraft polls and their palm reading methodology believe otherwise.