Why Matiang’i had sworn never to be interviewed by NTV journalists

Tony Mukere

April 16, 2019 10:46 AM

Matiang'i finally agreed to an interview last night

Why Matiang’I had sworn never to be interviewed by NTV journalists

On Monday, Interior CS Fred Matiang’i granted a rare interview to NTV’s Dennis Okari which touched on a raft of issues ranging from the country’s security status to the ongoing registration of Huduma Namba.

The interview, however, was significant in the sense that it was the first interview that the Interior CS had granted to the NMG-owned station after nearly two years.

Indeed, former NTV star and current BBC business editor Larry Madowo had quoted Matiang’i swearing that he would never appear on any interviews by NTV.

Madowo made the revelation in January 2018 in his opinion column that was published by the Nation.

Larry Madowo column

“Dr Matiang’i has told me in person and at least another of my colleagues that he would never be interviewed by a reporter from NTV because he believes we are biased against him,” Madowo said in a commentary that was not published by the CS.

The column was highly critical of Matiang’i and has been reported as forming the basis for Madowo’s exit from Nation Media Group.

“This is a man who presided over a brutal crackdown of constitutionally protected rights to protest during last year’s two elections, yet any criticism of that shameful period is dismissed as partisan politics,” he wrote.

The column was pulled off a week later and Madowo eventually resigned from NMG in March 2018.

Tony Mukere