•There’s a critical context to this story. Over four million Kenyans are starving due to a prolonged drought.
•On top of that, local and international factors have conspired to push the cost of living beyond the roof.
The highest point of journalism is to break an important story. The British journalist and celebrated novelist George Orwell put it this way: Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed; the rest is public relations.
The Star broke a huge story on Wednesday, printing on its front page what the political class would certainly not want printed. “MPs plot Qatar trip to watch World Cup”, the headline screamed.
The world’s best football extravaganza kicks off for the first time in the Middle East on Sunday. Fresh from a gruelling and costly election in August, what better way can you think of for our Waheshimiwa to cheer up and unwind than to jet out to the Gulf, sit back and enjoy the beautiful game on Qatar’s manicured pitches?
And the icing on the cake? It won’t cost them a bob.
“The MPs will have all their expenses, including airfare, accommodation and daily allowances, footed by you, the taxpayer,” the Star reports.
This story is based on confidential sources whose identities cannot be revealed for obvious reasons.
“Parliamentary sources have intimated to the Star that the MPs, representing various sporting activities, will leave the country after recess to enjoy the football extravaganza,” the report says.
To keep the holders of power accountable on behalf of citizens and to effectively play its watchdog role, the media must have its eyes and ears in every important institution.
Whenever a secret plot is being hatched, the great journalist assumes there is someone in the loop who is willing to spill the beans: the whistler blower. The job of a journalist is to get that person and break the big story.
“According to the source aware of the ongoing plans, the team has sought authorisation from the Speaker’s office to facilitate the trip immediately after the East Africa Legislative Assembly games that kick off next week,” the Star states.
There’s a critical context to this story. Over four million Kenyans are starving due to a prolonged drought. On top of that, local and international factors have conspired to push the cost of living beyond the roof.
A new government came to power on September 13, and one of its strategies for responding to emergencies like famine and resuscitating the collapsed economy is to slash public expenditure on non-essentials.
This Star exclusive exposes how completely out of touch the MPs are with the daily struggles for survival of their own people.