The roundabouts have new traffic lights; which are usually switched off. Instead A policeman directs the traffic flow. The jams are extraordinary. #nairobi #kenya pic.twitter.com/qfklKJLEVY
— Richard Quest (@richardquest) October 24, 2018
Kenyans have a peculiar habit of exposing their own country. When the CNN journalist tweeted about the traffic in Nairobi, Kenyans on Twitter found an opportunity to compete on who exposes the worst situation in the country better than the other.
“The roundabouts have new traffic lights; which are usually switched off. Instead A policeman directs the traffic flow. The jams are extraordinary. #nairobi #kenya” tweeted Quest.
It’s interesting to see how KOT get mad when outsiders talk badly about their country yet their always quick to insult her in the presence of ‘strangers.’ This was evident in the way they responded to Quest’s tweet about the traffic in the city.
Hope you noticed that police officers at the round abouts, appear unfit with round pot bellies. Swithced off traffic lights increases chances of receiving a bribe from motorists. Kenyans generally dont trust technology, because technology eliminates corruption.
— Robert Fungo Matanda (@rfungom) October 24, 2018
https://twitter.com/kimathi1945/status/1055027906181844992
https://twitter.com/kimathi1945/status/1055038394647093248
Have you ever lost your phone in unclear circumstances? Continue taking taking pics
— JUNIOR WANSON (@JuniorWanson) October 24, 2018
This is Kenya, where we discipline the disciplined forces. Ni hayo tu kwa sasa. pic.twitter.com/UKDzSoxx1s
— MarkB🇰🇪 (@MarkbrianMuli) October 24, 2018
Kuwa rada msee kama unaenda Githurai utasanyiwa hadi glasses kwa macho
— MOMBASA PROMO (@Ianmalovings) October 24, 2018
Tweep, Sam Gichuru however talked some sense into the few KOT who tried to expose the country’s vices to the visiting CNN journalist.
“The shame you feel every time a visitor tweets something that’s not working in Kenya then Kenyan children compete to give them a list of other things that are not working. If we visited your shags & made such a comment, would you pour out your family issues? Who is your mother?” asked the Nailab CEO.
The shame you feel every time a visitor tweets something that's not working in Kenya then Kenyan children compete to give them a list of other things that are not working.
If we visited your shags & made such a comment, would you pour out your family issues? Who is your mother?
— Sam Gichuru (@SamGichuru) October 24, 2018
When CNN referred to Kenya as the ‘hot bed of terror’, KOT were up in arms with the hashtag #SomeoneTellCNN claiming that the international media house had given a false misinterpretation of their country. The situation was so bad that Tony Maddox, the CNN Executive Vice President and Managing Director had to apologize to Kenya and admitted that the channel could have covered the story differently.
“We acknowledge there is a widespread feeling that the report annoyed many, which is why we pulled down the report as soon as we noticed. It wasn’t a deliberate attempt to portray Kenya negatively, it is regrettable and we shouldn’t have done it. There is a world at war with extremists; we know what a hotbed of terror looks like, and Kenya isn’t one.”
It’s ironical that the same KOT army that called out Western media station has now exposed the vices of their country to an international journalist.
Do you think Kenyans have a part to play in the manner in which international media houses cover stories about Kenya?