Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Kagwanja’s Piece On Miguna Crossed The Line


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Share/Save/Bookmark Of late there has been hue and cry from the media urging politicians to tone down their language and cool down the political temperature in the country. An atmosphere of endless political belligerence, intolerant language bordering on ethnic incitement was gripping the political landscape of our country
It seems nobody told political pundits like Prof. Peter Kagwanja and the media itself to also tone down the language of intolerance and abuse. One such example is a piece entitled “Does Miguna Have Traits Of A Populist Charlatan?” (The Star April 22, 2011).
I know Mr. Miguna personally; let me make that confession in case it is a crime to associate with this man. Mr. Miguna is also known as an Adviser to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kenya.
But reading the headline, I thought Mr. Miguna had done something terrible. I was looking to read about some horrible things that this man had done, particularly to Prof. Kagwanja. To my shock and horror after reading the piece more than once I was at a loss as to what Mr. Miguna had done. But I did, however, watch a live Citizen TV program, Breakfast Show, hosted by veteran broadcaster Mr. Mutegi Njau in which both Prof. Kagwanja and Mr. Miguna appeared as invited guests.
Anybody reading Mr. Kagwanja's piece in the Star and who never saw the TV debate must have been perplexed as to what problem Prof. Kagwanja had with Mr. Miguna.
In his piece in the Star, Prof. Kagwanja only mentions the fact that he was on a live TV debate with Mr. Miguna. Prof. Kagwanja complains bitterly that he was not told by Mr. Mutegi Njau that Mr. Miguna will be in the studio with him.
Then in the piece Prof. Kagwanja's goes on full attack on the person of Miguna based on rumours he has allegedly heard from some friends of his. Prof. Kagwanja makes all sorts of demonizing innuendos, even comparing Mr. Miguna to the “tailless stray dogs” of Rwathia Valley.
It seems the only crime Mr. Miguna had committed in this case was being in the same TV studio with Prof. Kagwanja and for effectively thwarting Kagwanja’s arguments!
Prof. Kagwanja does not mention a single thing Mr. Miguna said in the debate that provoked the unwarranted attacks. He never quotes a single word or statement that Mr. Miguna made. What was so offensive about Mr. Miguna’s TV presentation, I asked.
It is only after one sees the video of the TV show Prof. Kagwanja referred to that it downs on you just how malicious and uncouth Prof. Kagwanja is trying to be in his article about Mr. Miguna.
In that video, we do not see the vile, terrible, angry and mad Mr. Miguna, which if Prof. Kagwanja was to be believed, should have horns popping through his head. We see a calm, charming gentleman forthrightly answering questions from the interviewer and occasionally sharing jokes and smiles.
As we all know the debate was about the political heat in the country and the dilemma of dealing with the PEV and the involvement of the ICC with the so-called Ocampo Six. Mr. Miguna was not the topic of discussion and neither was Prof. Kagwanja.
The debate went back and forth between the two and those who watched it can judge for themselves who made any sense. For me and I am sure many other viewers, Prof. Kagwanja made absolutely no sense.
So why has Kagwanja now turned the debate into a story about Mr. Miguna. My sense is that he has probably been told how awful he was in that debate. The reviews must have been brutal for Prof. Kagwanja.
May be the two gentlemen should have a re-match of that debate and let somebody else write the review, but for god’s sakes let’s tone down the rhetoric. It is not helpful at all.

Adongo Ogony is human rights activist.

1 comment:

  1. I watched the interview (poor video quality by Citizen TV), but I fully accept
    Adongo's observations. Unlike him, i don't know Miguna but was very impressed on his approach to the ICC and due process, just as much as I was embarrassed by Kagwanja - I don't get Kagwanja and wonder why Kibaki rents him. In the Star article, as Adongo rightfully points out, Kagwanja had a second chance and blew it big. The lowest point in all this (and this is what should really matter), is that the key government adviser had nothing useful to say on the future of Kenya.

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