Beloved, missing Kenyan general found?
By David Karanja Posted Oct 1 2003
The man identified as General Stanley Mathenge, Kenya's hero in its struggle for independence, arrives in May at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi.
Almost three years ago, Joseph Karimi, a journalist writing for the East African Standard in Nairobi, reported that General Stanley Mathenge, a Mau-Mau leader in the Kenyan struggle for independence from Great Britain, had been found alive and was living as a farmer in neighboring Ethiopia. Mathenge had been missing and presumed dead since 1957.
The report was the first of many that resulted in Karimi's nomination for CNN's African Journalist of the Year Award, the most prestigious journalism award on the continent. On the day that award was announced in South Africa, the chair of the judging panel, Dr. Doyinsola Abiola, announced Karimi had been disqualified “due to uncertainties sur-rounding the authenticity of the story.”
In December 2000, when Joseph Karimi wrote in Kenya's East African Standard that General Stanley Mathenge was living as Ato Lemma Ayanu in Ethiopia, there was little reason to be incredulous of the veteran journalist's reporting.
Karimi's resume was chock-full of accomplishments, including a stint as the news editor of Kenya's largest newspaper, The Daily Nation. His name became synonomous with Kenyan investigative journalism after co-authoring The Kenyatta Succession, a book about the behind-the-scenes maneuvering by a group of politicians hoping to succeed the late President Jomo Kenyatta. By the time he had begun writing the Mathenge stories, Karimi had a proven, stellar record.
Over the course of the next two years, the journalist's freelance stories about Mathenge were well received by the Kenyan government and public. At one point, the Standard paid for Mathenge's wife and oldest son to journey from Kenya to Ethiopia to identify positively the war hero. Karimi was allegedly at the meeting and reported that Ayanu had been identified as Mathenge. If there had been any doubt to that point, it was quickly quelled by public and official excitement back in Kenya. The Kenyan government's interest was so keen that it invited Ayanu to visit the country in time to celebrate the country's independence celebration on June 1.
Public Denial
The euphoria of having allegedly found one of the country's war heroes may have blinded many in Kenya to the possibility that Ayanu was not their beloved general. Perhaps Karimi's respected record made insignificant a report from Ethiopian media where Ayanu was quoted as saying, “I do not understand what this matter of being called a former general is all about.”
When Ayanu landed on the ground in Kenya as a guest of President Mwai Kibaki, he said he was not Mathenge, and he could not speak any of Kenya's languages, remember any of his relatives or provide details of his participation in Kenya's fight for independence. Public and official excitement metastasized into anger, shock and embarrassment.
Ayanu's celebratory invitation turned into an inquisition. The “general” was given a DNA test and sent back to Ethiopia. Karimi was arrested, questioned and released.
The Fallout
More than three months after Ayanu was sent back to Ethiopia and Karimi's reporting brought into question, one thing remains clear: the mystery surrounding the alleged rediscovery of Mathenge in 2000 may equal the original mystery of his disappearance in 1957. Consequently, even though the Kenyan government was embarrassed by the episode, most fingers are pointed at Karimi, the East African Standard and the wide world of Kenyan journalism.
“Some editors at the East African Standard should have resigned when Ayanu stated categorically that he was not Mathenge,” says Joseph Kingori, of the Campaign for a Free Media, a free press advocacy organization. “That is the only way to send out a clear message that unethical behavior is not acceptable in the profession.”
Indeed, critics have publicly questioned how a respected newspaper such as the East African Standard could allow unverifiable articles to be printed, and questions remain about whether Karimi deliberately falsified his information or if he was duped.
Wachira Waruru, editorial director of the East African Standard, says the controversy and alleged story fabrication belies Joseph Karimi's reputation. “When we published the exposé on Mathenge, we had no reason to doubt its authenticity,” he says.
Karimi critics allege that Karimi – by his own admission – had a longstanding and, consequently, vested interest in pursuing a story about Mathenge. It has been alleged that, at one point in 2002, he approached then-Democratic Party leader and current president Mwai Kibaki about bringing Mathenge to Kenya. Dissenters charge that his enthusiasm for finding Ayanu might have clouded the veteran journalist's judgment.
“Along the way, he became not just a reporter but also a participant in the developing saga,” says Macharia Gaitho, an editor with The Daily Nation.
At a macro-level, the episode has Kenyan journalism outlets scrambling to assure readers that they can be trusted.
“The Mathenge controversy is a wake up call for the Kenyan media,” says Wangethi Mwangi, editorial director at The Daily Nation. He says his paper is committed to a strict verification policy and “will continue to apply these standards to avoid our reports becoming the subject of controversy over issues of facts.”
For its part, the East African Standard also says it holds to high ethical standards and will not publish unverifiable stories, says managing editor Alberto Lenny. Besides, he says, “It has not yet been established beyond doubt that Ayanu was not Mathenge. Therefore, it is premature to regard Karimi's stories as a fabrication.”
Elusive Truths
Therein lies the problem with this controversy. Something clearly went wrong in the reporting, but Karimi maintains his story is true and that his reporting was accurate. Yet, when asked for this article, he refused to comment on the matter and, in fact, has refused any interviews since his only remark in the wake of Ayanu's visit to Kenya: “The truth will come out when the DNA results are released.”
For that to occur, the Kenyan government would have to release the results, an improbable step at this point. Indeed, those who may know the truth – officials at Kenyatta National Hospital, where the test occurred, and the doctors who conducted the test – cannot comment without government approval.
Some government sources indicate that the Kibaki administration may have established that Ayanu was not Mathenge but concealed the results to avoid further embarrassment. Justice and Constitutional Affairs Assistant Minister, Robinson Githae, said the government made a mistake when they invited Ayanu before verifying his true identity.
“Investigations will be carried out and, if it is established that someone deceived the government into inviting the wrong person, stern legal action will be taken against him,” the minister said without mentioning Karimi by name.
In the absence of a clear statement from the government on the real identity of Ayanu, the truth will remain a matter of public debate. At stake, however, is an issue that is more important than providing the chattering classes with a topic of conversation. Rather, the Mathenge saga has put Kenyan journalism in the spotlight. Whether Ayanu's true identity and Karimi's veracity is ever proven, the challenge for Kenya's media is to learn from the experience, apply its lessons and assure a commitment to a journalism of verification and authenticity at all professional intersections.