Former KTN anchor Saddique Shaban has taken a swipe at Citizen TV over an exposé ran during prime time news on Wednesday, March 4.
Taking to social media, the sports journalist called out the media house for exposing a scam by a firm they had ran commercials for.
The exposé shone light on an agribusiness scheme by Goldenscape Greenhouses, revealing that it might have been a scam after several investors stated that they were yet to receive their returns.
"Citizen TV promoted this scam through paid commercial adverts. Citizen TV, in an editorial report, is televising a possible scam about an advert for which they were paid to advertise," Shaban stated.
"Do your due diligence next time. Don’t be like Citizen TV," he ridiculed.
On September 29, 2018, and November 2, 2019, the firm's payment days were broadcast live on Citizen TV.
And to an extent, this prompted Shaban's criticism of the station after it aired an exposé reporting that the investment might have been a scam.
Goldenscape Greenhouses offered contractual obligations to investors, with an assurance of a Ksh 550,000 return on a Ksh320,000 investment after six months.
Watching the promos on tv, the deals made were mouthwatering and hard to turn down.
The firm had presented itself as credible and captivating returns coupled with the commercials on tv, sealed the deal, attracting investors from all corners of the country.
Little did anyone know that the much-publicised scheme would turn out to be a scam.
"The money I expected as returns from the investment would have been over Ksh7 million. That would have taken me out of poverty," a disgraced investor told Citizen TV in the exposé.
He had invested a reported Ksh1.5 million with expectations to make a fortune from the greenhouse projects. "Last month was the sixth month. When I tried getting in contact with them, their phones had been switched off," he stated.
Several others recorded statements of distraught after they had been eluded by the firm.
They called upon government agencies, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations and that of the Director of Public Prosecutions to help find justice.
Why this matters
Many would blame the media for promos of companies that do not hold their end of the bargain, well politicians in the country too come on tv and make promises they can not fulfil.
Another argument would be that media houses should thoroughly vet businesses before they run promotional advertisements for them.
"If they are convincing enough to get money out of you imagine how easy it is for them to make you take their money," a source told Kenyans.co.ke following the expose'.
"I remember watching this. At some point, a guy who made a presentation mentioned how they were not a scam like others. There and then, I knew it would end in tears," another stated in reference to the payment day live coverage.
Media houses have in the recent past turned to other means to generate income, and live event coverages have proved to be a cash cow.
While many may castigate them for running the advertisements, whatever goes on in a company's books cannot be entirely blamed on the media.
