ODM Director of Communications Philip Etale for took no prisoners in his inspired attack on NTV news anchor, Olive Burrows, for her mwosho mmoja comment on a feature about former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
The comment in question was delivered during her feature titled Bridges to a Clean Slate on Tuesday, March 3, 2020.
Leading with a creative introduction, the feature displays an image of Odinga on a box of a popular agent with the tag 'political detergent'.
The feature alludes that Raila served as the cleaning agent politicians run to when they need their political image salvaged.
In the video, the journalist insinuates that those who find themselves on the wrong side of political opinion run to Raila's Capitol Hill office in search of redemption.
"When the stench becomes so overpowering, you make your way to the house on the hill hat in hand, hoping that one cycle through the washer will, as advertised, ngarisha na mwosho mmoja. And that a once tainted image will be returned to you white as snow, your sins forgiven," she speaks in the feature.
Burrows was unrelenting in her illustration of how the mechanism of mwosho mmoja works, highlighting Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko, Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru, Embakasi East MP Babu Owino and Migori Governor Okoth Obado as some of those who had benefited from this mwosho mmoja.
Watch the video here:
{"preview_thumbnail":"/files/styles/video_embed_wysiwyg_preview/public/video_thumbnails/cAcaXhsDOKo.jpg?itok=iVloVFEy","video_url":"","settings":{"responsive":1,"width":"854","height":"480","autoplay":0},"settings_summary":["Embedded Video (Responsive)."]}
It was against this background that Etale took to his keyboard, holding fast to the adage that the pen is mightier than the sword.
In a piece authored on Friday, March 5, 2020, the ODM communication director began his deconstruction of the feature by stating that the piece failed the test of responsible journalism.
"Olive Burrows wanted the public to believe that Odinga is a ‘Mr. Fix it’ or whatever the intention of her story was. She insinuated that at Odinga’s Capitol Hill office, many people, including those with questionable character visit and take tea together. She branded him ‘mtu wa muosho mmoja’. To me, that was reckless and irresponsible especially from a journalist who has a high standing in society," he stated.
Etale went on to provide that the journalist should have taken into account that the former premier's office was not government premises but a private office. As such, he was at liberty to host people from different parts of the country without being cast in a negative light.
He claimed that Olive Burrow's piece was sponsored to tarnish Odinga's image and was perpetuating brown-envelope journalism.
"It reminded me of the terminology used in the journalism world ‘mchoto’, where someone gives out something to have a journalist injure the character of an individual or a group of persons.
I am not saying that my good friend Olive Burrows had her purse filled by someone, but just wondering why she had to join the social media anti-Raila bandwagon to amplify their narrative on national television," expressed Etale.
"What Olive Burrows and the Tanga Tanga social media mass choir don’t know is that the song about Raila being the cleansing agent for the corrupt is nonsensical. When Raila whistle blew the corruption at NYS led by Anne Waiguru, the people of Kirinyaga 'punished' him by electing her in a landslide.
"Most leaders, especially in Mt. Kenya, owe their political careers to Raila Odinga. Either by him mentioning them negatively or them insulting him!" claimed Etale.
Concluding his tirade, he reiterated his call for responsible journalism, "Journalists should not cover words and delude themselves into thinking they have committed journalism, they must do what is good to their calling, being responsible. Period."
