Former Investigative Journalist Mohammed Ali alias Moha Jicho Pevu on Thursday, April 27, argued that the Shakahola massacre exposed loopholes in journalism in the country.
The member of parliament for Nyali, who quit journalism to join politics, explained that the media covered the Shakahola cult well, but added that journalists could have exposed the rot much earlier.
Professional investigative journalism, he indicated, can help save the country from similar occurrences through timely exposure.
“Our journalism was on course, but nowadays it is like journalists and media owners focus more on making money rather than following the true practice," he told Kenyans.co.ke.
Moha further claimed that some journalist appointments were not based on merit.
“The press is full of comedians, at this rate comedy will be confused for journalism," he added.
Moha, at the same time, urged upcoming journalists to make their careers outstanding with unique investigative work.
He advised that investigative journalism calls for courage and commitment on the part of a journalist and maximum support from employers regarding equipment, time, freedom, and funding.
"I acquired the courage from my dad, who always encouraged me to pursue my dreams and fight for whatever I believed in and that's how I excelled as a journalist," he narrated.
At the same time, he urged journalists to serve with adherence to media ethics and standards set by the Media Council of Kenya.
Moha quit the media to allow other journalists to explore and display their skills in investigative journalism, an area he dominated for years.
"I joined politics, to give way for more upcoming journalists to take up the investigative journalism roles and perform even better," he explained.
His sentiments came a few days after Music Copyright CEO Ezekiel Mutua, during an interview with Spice FM, also claimed that journalists had failed in their watchdog and investigative roles.
"We don't have a caliber of journalists like Moha Jicho Pevu who can spend time in the bush to expose incidents like the Shakahola cult," Mutua stated during the interview.
The Music Copyright CEO also called on media owners to fund and equip journalists adequately.
Neno Evangelism Pastor Ng'ang'a further called for Moha to resume his investigative role alongside being an MP.
"Jicho Pevu, work as a journalist and as an MP, investigate all churches including my church, and expose what is happening there," Pastor Ng'ang'a commented in a video.
Mohamed Ali quit KTN in 2017 to contest for Nyali constituency parliamentary seat and won as an independent candidate. He retained the seat on a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket in 2017.
