THREATS: LET NO ONE "FINYA MAKENDE" OF JOURNALISTS.

Opinion by 

Joel Eshikumo. 

LAST WEEK, I took time off my busy schedule to browse thru social media walls and holes to catch up after being AWOL serving in my current position. 

My target naturally when I go online is, first, walls occupied by strict colleagues in the media fraternity and fellow bloggers running registered blogs, then lastly I read the usual mouths for hire yelling praises to anything that can send a penny and abusing those they think are threats to the "income"......... In that order. 

A story caught my attention, that The People Daily Newspaper correspondent based in Kakamega Douglas Dindi had recorded statements with police over "Threats" to his life. 

I know Dindi personaly, a stickler to detail, a seasoned social commentator, a fine writer and like me, a rude crack-head who protects his job as chicken does chicks. 

That Dindi had been threatened "kufinywa makende" by Dr. David Alila the Kakamega Chief Officer for Medical Services over some story. 

I know Dr. Alila, a fine mathematician, padegree workerholic a man who has results oriented leadership laced with intellectual rigour, a worker who pays rudeness for rudeness and kindness for kindness, a bold man who makes the right decisions and not popular decisions, trust me, he can as well truly finya makende of another. 😂😂. 

NO NONSENSE: Dr David Alila the CO medical services. He has denied threatening a journalist. He is hailed for running medics cartels outside of health facilities. 

I don't want to pass judgement or even interrogate opaque evidence or still what is true or not true in the said threat context! Where would my premise rest? I cannot create assertions and aspersions and tie them to any of the two and use them as reference! That'd be sub-par! 

I have personally been a victim of violence, arbitrary arrest and public redicule due to my stand on certain governance issues in this county /country, I was dragged from prison to prison and at one time my family fell apart!! 

I would never advocate for threats or intimidattion against any media person  from anybody for whatever reason. However, if you ask me, there comes a time when makende lazima zifinywe. 

In as much as I agree it's backward if not barbaric to target the messenger, let me say Dindi is lucky he has people like me to stand with him, in my case I was alone, lawyers, So called colleagues kept their distance when I was being crucified, nobody would dare pen a statement when Joel Eshikumo was sent to civil jail for calling out known thieves and looters Former Mumias MD Evans Kidero not forgetting former Kakamega Governor Whyclife Oparanya!! 

Let me be candid: Journalists (Especially in Kakamega) lack consistency and team work very useless things divide journalists and very useless things unite them they have been infiltrated by individuals who don't fit to be called by the title. 

Had journalists stayed vigilant in the past when intimidation was the order of the day, when writing was still criminal and not civil, the so called threats would be a thing of the past. 

What I know from where I sit, Hakuna mtu atafinywa makende but the Dr. Alila I know, options are open and let me tell the Chief Officer: Kuja finya mimi makende. 

For Douglas Dindi, you have escaped too many traps, storms and hail stones since the days of Prof Anangwe and Soita Shitanda while we were at State-owned Kenya Times, don't be shaken by rain drops hata ukifinywa makende vumilia. 

The author is a journalist and proprietor eshikumo2030.blogspot.com he is currently contracted by Kakamega County to coordinate youth service and women empowerment activities in the four wards of Butere.