British High Commissioner to Kenya Jane Marriot has lauded Citizen Tv news anchor Waihiga Mwaura for holding leaders in the country to account.
The UK envoy to Kenya was addressing the Kenya Editors’ Guild Press Club held in Nairobi, where she stated that the 'News Night' host poses the right questions to public leaders, which provoke accountability.
Mariot conceded that an interview with Mwaura was one of the most uncomfortable moments of her life, noting that he asked difficult questions.
British High Commissioner to Kenya Jane Marriot addresses the Kenya Editors’ Guild Press Club held in Nairobi on May 11, 2021. |Courtesy| Twitter|
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“You will all recall the fire in March that started in Loldaiga Conservancy. It was not our best moment. We invited Waihiga to my house, and he put me through my paces. It was uncomfortable. He was asking difficult questions. It was not the most enjoyable interview I have ever done in my life.
“But I completely defend Waihiga’s right, and your collective right, to ask those questions and hold us to account. That is what the media is there to do, and we’re all better for it,” she said, adding that no elephants died.
Mariot further noted that the country is blessed with a vast media industry that boasts well-trained journalists.
She referenced to a number of exposes aired by media stations in the country in the course of the Covid-19 pandemic pertaining to the misuse of public funds, adding that the country has journalists determined to fish out the truth.
The UK envoy noted that journalists in the country have a tough time ahead of them owing to the referendum and the 2022 General Election.
“We need an independent and sustainable media, with laws, policies and professionals to serve society. We need investigative journalists who spend days – weeks, months – getting to the real heart of stories,”Marriot stated.
She added that journalists in the country should feel safe, free from fear of intimidation or threat to life.
“A free press forms a foundation for economic prosperity, for social development, for more open and inclusive societies. The open exchange of information allows economies to flourish,” she said.
Waihiga hosts 'News Night' at 9 PM every Tuesday on Citizen TV. Recently, he won the Investigative Reporting Award for the Mara Heist story. One of the biggest exposes on corruption in the country.
