The British Broadcasting Cooperation has refuted claims that the investigative documentary on night runners was staged managed.
The state cooperation was responding to claims from various quarters that it had fabricated truth about the documentary.
In the 50- minute documentary, BBC tried to reveal the night runners in action as they terrorise villagers.
According to the broadcaster, the documentary with self-confessions was meant to shine fresh light on the reality behind the myths of night runners.
Wuuueeeh ayam in tears😂😂😂 hii documentary ya wachawi wanakimbia na nguo 😂😂😂😂 mae to adwaro neno😂😂😂
— Molline😝 (@m_olline) May 5, 2019
“The people of rural Kenya have spoken of the night runners for generations. They’re said to be villagers possessed by a demonic spirit which compels them to scare and terrorise their neighbours at night. But no one really knows who the night runners are or what motivates them,” read the introduction part of the documentary.
This, however, did not go well with the majority of Kenyans on social media who claimed the documentary had been done just for the camera.
While some Kenyans questioned why a night runner would want to be recorded while in action, some said the fact that the said night runners wore white clothes was an indication it was staged.
Now Watching this @BBCAfrica feature on nightrunners in Luoland by @TomOdula
— Magunga Williams (@theMagunga) May 7, 2019
First, what I know of these people is that they are supposed to be running naked. Thiring'ing'i. In the company of a leopard. Or hyena.
See what lack of wildlife conservation is doing to my community pic.twitter.com/XUfrTBTZP7
But BBC while affirming it stood by its journalism said, “We're getting quite a few comments saying this is scripted or staged. This investigation was made with voluntary, fully informed consent from members of the community featured. There was no dramatised footage in this documentary”.
Another part of the statement read, “The BBC’s editorial standards and commitment to accuracy mean that we would not feature dramatised footage without clear labelling. We stand by our journalism and will continue to highlight social issues that are relevant to our African audience.
