BLOGGER ROBERT ALAI tells off Citizen Tv Journalist Willis Raburu after revealing Witness identity Through a pseudo- name (Kahawa Tungu) associated with Kenya’s civil liberties blogger Robert Alai, the blogger took on Royal Media Services Citizen Television journalist Willis Raburu after he tweeted a mindless post revealing (or confirming) the identity of the first prosecution witness, known in legal circles as witness 536. The ICC cases has heralded a new low in newsrooms with journalists- the few trained and the mass quacks in newsrooms- tweeting, facebooking and writing (in respected mainstream national newspapers) all manner of offensive half truths or outright lies meant to achieve no further end than to pacify, through overt interference, the ongoing trial at the ICC. Willis Raburu on his twitter handle had (outrageously) posted that the ICC witness who testified yesterday against Deputy President William Ruto was affirmatively one Grace Nyakero Githutha who had appeared in an earlier post-poll violence case where all witnesses were acquitted. Raburu reminds me of my friend Bogonko Bosire’s greatest oxymoron ‘sanctimonious pussy’. But I dare not throw my emotions to this shameless brouhaha. Raburu, sensing a lapse in both judgement and journalistic standards, deleted the post but that was long before social media ‘prefects’ had downloaded it and made it public to the whole world. In fact, one of Kenya’s trending topics # WillisRaburuShouldlLeak is currently trending worldwide. So outraged are other bloggers that Raburu is now required, as a matter of urgency, to down his tools and head to Lake Victoria to fish tilapia, or omena, whichever the water hyacinth has allowed to continue breeding! Raburu reminds me of my friend Bogonko Bosire’s greatest oxymoron ‘sanctimonious pussy’. But I dare not throw my emotions to this shameless brouhaha. The career shuttering post (Raburu may end up languishing in jail for witness intimidation) goes further to confirm the victim’s lawyer Wilfred Nderitu’s assertions during the opening of the trials that a great many organs of the political establishment- crooked lawyers, paid up journalists, bureaucracy mandarins, church leader, community elders, family members – name them, are actively engaged in ‘subtle silencing’ of witnesses. Sadly, and probably related or mere coincidence, another ICC witnesses against Deputy President William Ruto has withdrawn. Shouldn’t Raburu not take responsibility?
Posted on: Wed, 18 Sep 2013 15:14:26 +0000
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