Kenyan Journalists discuss poverty in Media

Mosoku Geoffrey

Wangari Kanyongo

The role of the media in Kenya has recently come under sharp focus as the profession has been invaded by quacks and the level of the practice has also come under sharp scrutiny. Kenyan Journalists today engaged in discussions in the social media (facebook) about their career. Below are the excerpts as captured by Daily News Kenya:

1.Samel  Kang`ethe Maina.

IS THERE A WEALTH JOURNALISTS. OR A JOURNALIST WHO HAS MADE IT ECONOMICALLY. HII PROFESSION YETU IS CURSED.

COZ WE COVER EVERYONE WHEN THEY ARE SEEKING BETTER PAY MPAKA WANAPATA BUT WHO COVERES US FOR BETTER PAY??? WE INTERACT WITH THE RICHEST AND THE POOREST AND WE MAKE LIFE BETTER FOR SOME BUT WHO MAKES LIFE BETTER FOR US. AMA THIS CAREER WAS MEANT FOR FREE SERVICE TO HUMANITY. THE YEARS I HAVE WORKED ARE ENOUGH TO BE IN A BETTER POSITION.

I COVERED KIBAKI AS A LEADER OF OFFICIAL OPPOSITION AND DP CHAIRMAN AND I COVERED UHURU KENYATTA AS CHAIRMAN OF KENYA TOURISM BOARD. THAT TELLS U WHEN WAS THAT AND TODAY BAKS HAS KILLED TWO TERMS AND HAS IMPROVED HIS ECONOMIC STATUS BUT WHERE IS THE SON OF WANJIKU???? STILL SAYING HE SAID, HE ADDED, HE URGED, HE CALLED, HE APPEALED. AHHHHHHHHHHGGGGGG

2. Patrick Mwaura:Jeff Koinange not badly off.

Samuel Kange`the Maina

3.Wangari Kanyongo: sometimes I think its more of a calling coz I don't understand why we hang on to it..

4.Mosoku Geoffrey: Ndugu, ours is a humble profession and we are supposed to be the watchdog of the people. The watchdog is not supposed to accumulate or compete with those he is watching over,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ahahahahahahah, Tuju and Mutahi Kagwe are colleguese so as kamkunji MP Yusuf Hassan, methinks the thee are not badly off although they may not be super rich.

5.Joseph Murimi:How can you be rich when your business is to write about others! If you want to be rich get into business of buying and selling or better still prodution. Scribes we cursed during the old testament (Bible) days

The most annoying thing abov journalism is the exitement of doin an insiring success story yet you cannot apply the same to improve your life. The information journalists have and can access is worth millions if not billions

6. Perpetua Matama:This could be the answer to why journalists sell themselves cheap...and I say this with humility... you invite us to cover an event and majority expect the "Brown Envelop"! So those who dont pay, mostly never make it to the news! Sad! isn't that 500/- the reason why "you'd" rather follow that politician instead of a genuinely newsworthy venture? We lust after the small money and miss the big picture. It makes us look like idiots...but it seems that we like it because we keep at it. We have made it an embarrasing job for us. Sit back and reflect.

Joseph Murimi

7.Ciru Nyagah: I was a scribe for close to 2 years, a quarter of the time I was in training, the remaining part I was mostly depressed, I never made any progress in life, my career neva grew. However, 3 months after leaving, doors opened, I got my life back, I have my peace of mind & I'm VERY happy where I am right now. So my advice would be,

be a scribe as a side hustle. If you are a corre anza kujiplot right now. Kenyan media will be the death of you ama, if you are happy receiving 'cuts' basi endelea  kulia.

Corres (watu wa ruler) in Kenya earn their humiliating living pitifully since they are paid per centimeter per publication. This is not very respectful, so dear scribes make as many contacts as possible in key places for they shall be ur ticket to freedom n peace. PR companies humiliate journalists coz they know there's nuthin you'll do. After all, they bribe editors na story inatokea, we mtu wa mkono utashinda ukilia.

Mwangi Ndirangu

8. Clairef Muthoni:I have gone through your comments guys and my view is PR companies have taken advantage, they are paid heavily by their clients but they use journalist when they need coverage assuming we are paid by our employers to cover, at the end of day, the budget for media goes to someone pocket not minding that journalists are the ones who plays a big role to create client image. That's why many journalist r hopping or starting PR companies like Mutahi kagwe, Alfred mutua, name them. Guys Tukatae katakata kutumiwa!

9.Mwangi  Ndirangu: the worst enemy in this career is the "cut" which never improved anyones life. a politician or a pr firm will waste even a journalist for a whole day then give him or her soo tano bila kuona aibu, suprisingly the same journalist wil follow the same politician another day knowing too well there wont be big news ni ile ya kuforce. if thats not a curse, then i dont know what it is. we realy need to do something and teach these politicians a lesson.

10. Kariuki Ndung`u:live like a king but die like a pupper. meaning meeting with whos who in the society and living on a higher class smtimes beyond their means. but i think its a cursed career coz after i left it a saw my break through.

11.Sarah  Ndungu: We re nt rich economically but rich @ heart