Weather boss predicts rains AROUND the coast? No; we say ALONG the coast

As we endeavour to write stories that inform, educate or entertain, our concern shouldn’t be just about facts. We also need to be careful with the use of right words or expressions, lest we end up communicating something that is different from what we intended.

Misinforming your audience (or misreporting your source), even accidentally, is worse than keeping quiet.

Our gemstone sharing will today start with what was picked up from the tabloid associated with this columnist. In the Friday, January 21 story that appears on Page 2, entitled, ‘Battle for the soul of Bunge now shifts to Deputy Speaker’, the scribbler has this to say on Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly:

“REGARDING her age, if confirmed, Dr Tulia Ackson who served as Deputy Speaker under Mr Ndugai since 2015 until her APPOINTMENT as the party’s candidate, HAS A LONG WAY TO GO in her political career.”

Regarding her age, if confirmed? What is the scribbler telling readers here? That Dr Ackson’s age is so unconfirmed? No way! Everybody who cares to know is aware this daughter of the land was born in November 23, 1976. It means she is only 45—still quite young.

And, until her “appointment” as CCM’s candidate for the post of Speaker? No siree! Her party has just NOMINATED her. And the scribbler, I aver, errs gravely when he talks of Dr Ackson as someone who “has a long way to go.” Reason is, when you say someone has a long way to go, you are suggesting he/she needs to struggle really hard to achieve something substantial. Duh!

It is getting complex, so let me just redeem the sentence with a radical rewrite. Here we go: “Given her relatively young age of 45, Dr Tulia Ackson—who served as Deputy Speaker under Mr Ndugai since 2015 until her NOMINATION as CCM’s candidate for the post of Speaker—WILL GO A LONG WAY (not has a long way to go) in her political career.” In Kiswahili we would have said “…atafika mbali”. Meaning, she has a bright future.

On Page 20 of the same edition, there is a story entitled, ‘Bring on Simba, says Mtibwa Sugar head coach’, and therein the sports scribbler writes:

“The two teams will face off each other at the Manunga Stadium after 23 years AGO…” The word AGO renders the sentence meaningless, sorry! Just drop the word and everything becomes okay.

Still on January 22, on which day Bongo’s senior-most broadsheet ran a story on Page 1 with the headline, ‘Brace for more rains, TMA warns the public’. In this one, the scribbler writes in his intro:

“The Tanzanian Meteorological Agency has issued a weather notice, predicting that rain would continue in several areas, particularly AROUND the coast.”

Around the coast? Nope siree! We say ALONG the coast.

On the same page, there is another story headlined, ‘Bandari College eyes becoming hub of solution for port challenges’.

Our scribbling colleague reports on the reforms necessitated by weaknesses which were noted in the curriculum, something that threatened the very existence of the good college. He writes:

“This MADE IT NEARLY BE CLOSED by the National Council of Technical Education (NECTA)…” Duh! It is my bet the scribbler meant to write, “This PUT IT ON THE VERGE OF BEING CLOSED by NECTA…”

On Saturday, January 22, Bongo’s huge and colourful broadsheet ran a story on Page 4 entitled, ‘Mwananyamala regional referral hospital expresses its determination to improve customer care’.

Therein, the scribbler purports to quote an official at Mwananyamala and writes: “Apart from training the staff WITH the required skills on customer care…”

Hello, no! You train staff ON (not with) the required skills.

On Para 13, our colleague writes:

“Tuswege Mwamwaja, assistant NURSE officer…commended the facility’s management and trainers…”

Nurse officer? Nope! Ms Mwamwaja’s designation is that of Assistant NURSING (not nurse) officer.

Ah, this treacherous language called English!