Tag: The Standard
Standard Group Ltd Journalist David Odongo arrested in Nairobi
Well, there been rumored that orders from up-high that Standard Group Limited David Odongo got arrested and detained at Nyayo Embaksi Police Station in Nairobi over a story published in the Nairobian. He is now detained, but the orders from above is not yet approved or claimed by anybody, but if; I see it like this: The IGP Joseph Boinett must have gotten the ‘orders’ and used the local police chief to detain him; Sure that is the Nairobi Police Commander Japhet Koome have to follow the orders of Boinett, as Boinett followed orders from above.
My theory as the reason is that Interior Cabinet Secretary Hon. Joseph Nkaissery, who we’re in charge of detaining John Ngirachu of the Daily Nation, James Mbaka of the Daily Star and Alphonce Skiundu of the Standard Group Limited. That he got detained and questioned for writing about questionable use of government funds in December 2015. Certainly I believe he was in-charge and he is the one from ABOVE. I would not be surprised or shocked. But he has already a track-record for this kind of rash actions; so why not now?
Not that it is shocking that the David Ondongo the writer and Journalist who wrote this piece recently in the Nairobian: “Meet Kimani Rugendo, the billionaire businessman” that got published on the 9th April 2016. That was a puff piece on a business-man who has made business with bottle-water, drinks and some army contracts. So if that is worrying for the nation of Kenya, then what is?
He wrote this on his own facebook yesterday where he was critical about the Kenyan Government Spokesperson writing a Statement that was criticizing PBS for their “Kenya Corruption Documentary Series”. Where he was writing: “Eric Kiraithe, being a spokesman doesn’t mean you have to speak even when you have nothing to say. Are you mad? Do you live in Kenya? Get off your ivory tower and come back to reality. If I posted your number here so that Kenyans can call you every time a cop demands a bribe from them, you will run mad. Your phone won’t stop ringing. Do you know how much Kenyans are suffering? So now, Mr Kiraithe you want to blame the civil society for the mess, you and your fellow cops put us into? Stop taking Kenyans for fools. You must have worked hard to be in the position you are right now, stop cheapening yourself by making statements, that you, deep in your heart know isn’t true. Can you look at your children, straight in their eyes, and tell them the video by PBS is fiction? I also don’t like my country being portrayed negatively by foreign media, but the truth can’t be hidden. You have some good officers in the force, but majority are rotten to the core. #EndOfRant” (Odongo, 14.04.2016).
So do I believe that he was detained for a puff piece in the Nairobian on the 8th of April? No not really, because his own will and his own words on Social Media as a writer and journalist will be recognized just as the words of Charles Onyango-Obbo (COO) quotes on Twitter will create views and questions on Policy. The same reach does not David Ondongo have, but he still have his space and his followers. So I believe that, that statement on Social Media is more worthy of creating some fuzz, then the piece on the business-man who trades bottled water and also investing in Sterling Craft Kenya Limited that they are starting to make ‘Water Tanks’ not tanks for the Kenya Defense Force (KDF). So the puff-piece must be used for deflection for the statement on the Facebook yesterday. As the Government got the whiff of his ideas and attack on the Kenyan government, that should be the case; not the puff-piece. Peace.
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Nkaissery tells journalists: “You aren’t off the hook yet” (Youtube-Clip)
“Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery says the three newspaper journalists who were being investigated for allegedly publishing sensitive government information are not off the hook yet. Nkaissery spoke to Citizen TV barely a week after nation Parliamentary Editor John Ngirachu was arrested” (Kenya Citizen TV)
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CORD on Nkaissery’s remarks Media Freedom (Youtube-Clip)
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My letter to the Minister of Interior Affairs of Kenya Hon. Joseph Nkaissery on detaining John Ngirachu
Dear Sir Honorable Joseph Nkaissery!
You did say this yesterday!
To the whole world you said this:
“Listen there is way, to tell you, You cannot get AWAY with allegation. So it is up to you, if you don’t want to relieve the sources, then you’ll fry Alone! It is…It begins today, if you’re telling the truth. Don’t worry if our friend will be saved. So long as he is telling the truth. If anybody, if you understand ENGLISH, anybody, except two people; the president and his deputy; anybody will be writing statement if you make an allegation, beginning today!”
We know the man frying at that moment is John Ngirachu; the journalist of the Daily Nation; who was at a Police Station detained by the CID, after writing a story about your Ministry, which you runs honorable Nkaissery. There was to other journalist involved in the stories and not detained yet James Mbaka of the Daily Star and Alphonce Skiundu of the Standard.
This after your Ministry had questioned by the Auditor Generals query on the usage of funds and the use of total Ksh. 3,8 billion in a single day. Honorable Nkaissery you was even questioned on this matter by the Public Accounts Committee in the Parliament.
Your life doesn’t seem easy right now Mr. Nkaissery! You are a public person right? You’re an elected official who are in charge of a government ministry and the funds that brings. Journalist are tiring people, anybody who knows the ways of Daniel Arap Moi; was teaching you this right? Or was it anybody elese?
You sure learned by this history, isn’t that right Honorable Nkaissery?
“The Nation has been the subject of frequent government attacks over the past 18 months. Joseph Ngugi, a Nakuru-based correspondent, was one of the first journalists charged in October 1993 with breach of security regulations for attempting to report on political violence in Molo” (…)”Mutegi Njau, the news editor of the Daily Nation, was arrested in April 1994, along with the paper’s Eldoret correspondent, and charged with subversion. The paper had run two stories on official involvement in political violence in the Burnt Forest area of the Rift Valley” (…) “In early January 1995, two Nation reporters were summarily dismissed in circumstances which caused many observers to believe this was a result of official pressure on the company” (Article 19, 1995).
Anybody who knows English and has heard it, remember this one, right?
“Paul Amina was previously arrested in August 1987 (see UA 214/87, AI Index AFR 32/29/87, dated 11 August 1981) and detained under Kenya’s public security regulations, which provide for the indefinite detention without charge or trial of those held to be endangering public security. No reason was given for his arrest in 1987, but it is believed that he was detained because of his reporting of politically sensitive court cases” (…)”Paul Amina, freelance journalist and former prisoner of conscience, was arrested by security police at the International Press Centre in Nairobi on Friday 16 August 1991. He was taken to an unknown destination where he is believed to be held incommunicado. He has not yet been brought to court to be charged with any offence” (AFR 31/26/91, 1991).
Seems like Joseph Nkaissery has learned well, though he needed to teach John Ngirachu a lesson not to make allegations that hurts you. You’re supposed to be Teflon. Anybody should know that! You have only two persons above you and that is The President and his Deputy; therefore detaining a simple little journalist shouldn’t be an issue. You run the Interior Ministry. He only has some Secret Informants and get some leaked information at the Parliament. That bastard!
The Auditor General shouldn’t even have questioned your for the extra high spending in one day. That is your business, not anybody else, especially not somebody who check society and if there is check and balance. The coverage damage you, therefore it is damaging all of society. Because you’re a pinnacle in society while the Journalist is just a pencil pusher who never couldn’t even have teach the kids of today ENGLISH in Eldoret. You must forgive us. We don’t know English as you honorable Nkaissery.
Honorable Nkaissery you can see from Daniel Arap Moi as your lecturer, he was that also, so you must be one of his noble student. I write this to you because detaining somebody for not giving you the sources of their story on your ministry and monies you’re in charge of. I am sure you wished Ngirachu the treatment of Mr. Njau or Amina of the 90s Kenya. Since you think that is such a proud part of the political heritage! Since you trying to copy it and wish every allegation have to write a statement proving where they got the intelligence. You must be such a noble man Honorable Nkaissery who wishes to have all of this into your ministry. Honarable Nkaissery you must be great fan of extra paperwork to shut down your enemies. And they can’t be trustworthy people if they keep their sources to themselves. They should have Informers in Parliament. That is not noble like you. Anybody would know that.
Honorable Nkaissery what is the truth? What is the honest truth about the monies and your ministry? Why would anybody like the men of the Public Account Committee ask you questions? And why didn’t they ask you directly for statements instead of getting it from informants. You who are such a noble man Nkaissery! Anybody can see that.
I don’t want to to leave you alone or fry you Honorable Nkaissery! But I want to ask how come there was spent so much shillings in your ministry in one day? And why did you detain and ask the two other journalists to be detained for the story? Anybody who has heard the story, wonder about that!
They can’t be saying stuff like they do. Anybody should know the truth. The honest truth from a honorable man like you Joseph Nkaissery! CID got a statement and detained a journalist for an article. That the journalist himself said he got the intel from the Hansard. The Hansard is public property or is there something hidden in the English language that makes them not legal for journalist to read these?
I just want to know the truth Honorable Joseph Nkaissery for why anybody like Ngirachu was detained. That is a statement I want to see and also the reason for why since you have to power over the CID with your station at the ministry honorable Nkaissery. Can you tell that to anybody? I am sure you’re the best source of it. This cannot be seen as political insensitive. It’s just rational sir. So please if you understand my ENGLISH. Please tell this to anybody, the truth in a statement, your allegations of Ngirachu and his colleagues.
Sincerely yours
Writer of Minbane.
Reference:
Article 19 –‘Censorship in Kenya: Government critics face the death sentence’ (May 1995) link: https://www.article19.org/data/files/pdfs/publications/kenya-censorship-in-kenya.pdf
Letter from 1991 – ‘Fear of Torture/Legal Concern’ (19.08.1991) – AFR 31/26/91
Endgame:
MinBane 