The distasteful series aired as investigative journalism by KTN’s Mohammed Ali

The power of the media in shaping policy and public opinion can not be gainsaid. And, if this is wielded negatively, the consequences can be catastrophic. Rwanda, a neighbour in the region and a fellow East African Community member, learnt this the hard way. The role the media played in the events that culminated in the massacre of close to a million Rwandans, in the 1994 genocide, is well documented. Of particular significance is the use of the word cockroach, which was used to dehumanise the Tutsis. This was akin to what happened in Nazi Germany, where Jews were targeted as the vermin of the human race.

The same appears to be happening in Kenya too.  KTN, one of the leading TV stations in the country seems to be setting the pace. In a series that was recently aired on prime time news, Somali refugees are humiliatingly and repeatedly referred to as ‘Mbuzi’ - the equivalent of a goat in Swahili. Using such a demeaning and distasteful word goes against journalistic ethics everywhere in the world, and the same is true for Kenya. Why the editors allowed the usage of such an objectionable term, in contravention of Kenyan media ethics, beats logic.

In fact the code of conduct explicitly states; “Quoting persons making derogatory remarks based on ethnicity, race, creed, colour and sex shall be avoided. Racist or negative ethnic terms should be avoided. Careful account should be taken of the possible effect upon the ethnic or racial group concerned, and on the population as a whole, and of the changes in public attitudes as to what is and what is not acceptable when using such terms.” The presenters, however, showed no compassion for fellow human beings by reiterating the word through out the series.

Equally significant was a section of the clip that seemed to have been borrowed from Afghanistan rather than shot in North-Eastern. Just a minute into the third episode of the four day series, you see some Burqa clad women alighting from a bus. That type of Islamic attire is not the one usually worn in East Africa. Muslim women in Kenya and the region, instead, mostly wear the Somali type Hijab or ordinary headscarves. A man is also seen accompanying these women, and he too doesn’t look like a Somali. Thus, this raises questions on the authenticity of the video. Was it to make the Somalis look bad by trying to associate them with the Taliban?

All these, coming hot in the heels of the census results that dispute the figures given for ethnic Somalis in Kenya, makes their motive suspect. Even despite refutation of this fallacious assumption, as regards the Somali figures by Billow Kerrow, Ahmednasir Abdullahi, Ali Maalim and yours truly; it is evident that the station has prejudicially come to the conclusion that the explosion of the numbers of Kenyan Somalis has everything to do with immigration. And, it is for this reason that I fear that they might be some backlash against innocent Somalis in Kenya.

It is also a known fact that most Kenyans - and that include the elites - can not differentiate between areas in upper Eastern and North-Eastern, and their respective residents as well. Once, I remember - being orientated in a new workplace in Nairobi - a very senior executive asked me whether the provincial headquarters of North-Eastern were indeed in Machakos. There was no doubt in my mind that he was talking of Isiolo, Marsabit and Moyale districts which are part of Eastern and administered from Embu, and not the Machakos as he mistakenly believed in. And, just last year there was an article in the Daily Nation by no less a person than a senior editor at the widely circulated newspaper proclaiming that he had only recently realized that Garissa was indeed part of Kenya.

In addition, many Kenyans do not know that Somali is actually one of the ethnic communities in Kenya. Most only know the derogatory ‘Warya’ and ‘Walaalo’ as the proper name of the community. Many of my friends can not even comprehend that the name Somali is for both nationals of Somalia and ethnic Somalis, whether from Kenya, Ethiopia or Djibouti. I occasionally also come across a negligible minority thinking that the two offensive names are somewhat distinct Kenyan communities. Now, based on this what will stop some other gullible Kenyans to adopt the term ‘Mbuzi’, thinking that it is the official name of a community?

Granted, Kenya has national security issues to consider but that should not come at the expense of ensuring the same for Kenyan Somalis. Nevertheless, one important fact that also needs to be borne in mind is that the greater Garissa region hosts the largest number of Somali refugees in Kenya and yet the same was recently voted the safest town in East and Central Africa. Whereas I do not wish to downplay the risks associated with a porous border, a large non-national population in our midst and coupled with the chest thumping and empty rhetoric occasionally issued by al Shabaab, it is clear for those with an objective mind that the hapless Somali refugees are not our greatest threat. It is the fear of muggings, violent robberies and of late kidnapping that should form the core priority for the Kenyan police, and by extension the media.

Thus, KTN should not be allowed to continue sensationalising the issue of Somali refugees in Kenya. Since this, as happened elsewhere, can whip up emotions and negatively impact on Kenyan Somalis. I say this because the tempo seems to have been set by KTN, and the fact that Kenyans can’t differentiate between Kenyan nationals of Somali origin and their brethren from across the border. Therefore, I urge both the National Cohesion and Integration Commission and the Media Council of Kenya to investigate this matter and treat it with the utmost care it deserves. We should not wait for some ugly incidents to occur before we react.