When you’re in hands of the police, what you undergo is not ‘interview’

The Saturday, May 10 edition of the huge Nairobi tabloid that commands a sizeable readership in Bongo has a crime story on Page 8 entitled ‘Police link politician Aroko to meetings, threats and cash in Were’s murder plot.’

It’s a story on the case before a magistrate’s court in regard to the April 30 killing of an ODM legislator, Charles Were, in a Nairobi street. Says the scribbler on Para 10:

“Investigators have yet to visit critical meeting locations… Witness identification and INTERVIEWS are ongoing.” The word “interview” is not the right word to define what happens when one is facing law enforcement agents after a crime has been committed and perpetrators are being pursued. Why, an interview is a structured conversation to gather information. It’s neutral and non-accusatory.

So, what’s the right word in a situation where you’re facing law enforcers seeking to build a prosecutable case? The word is INTERROGATION, which is a formal and often confrontational questioning aimed at eliciting information. It’s potentially coercive.

On Wednesday, May 7, death took away one of Tanzania’s most prominent leaders, 94-year-old Cleopa David Msuya, a man who had served the country in various capacities including being an MP, minister, PRIME MINISTER and VICE PRESIDENT. Hon Msuya, without doubt Mwanga District’s most revered son, was laid to rest in his ancestral village of Chomvu-Usangi on Tuesday, May 13. His and death and internment were, needless to say, historic media event.

Bongo’s senior-most broadsheet of Saturday, May 10, ran a front-page story entitled, ‘Msuya to be laid to rest on Tuesday.’ Therein our scribbling colleague, writing in attribution to what Chief Government spokesman said, writes:

“…Monday the body will be flown from JNIA to KIA and then be transported by road to the Cleopa Msuya grounds in Mwanga where LEADERS and CITIZENS will get the opportunity to pay their last respects.”

Let’s, once again, discouraged the idea of casting our leaders as non-citizens! Yes, that’s we do when we say, albeit unwittingly, “leaders and citizens.” Leaders are citizens too. So, if you’ve to draw a thick line between the rulers, er…leaders, and us, the masses, say LEADERS and ORDINARY CITIZENS.

Page 4 of the broadsheet has a story whose headline reads, ‘Mozambique’s First Lady applauds MHN for quality health services.’ The intro Para reads: “The First Lady of Mozambique, Ms Gueta Chapo, has commended the Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) and ‘expressed admiration’ FOLLOWING quality and ‘improved’ health services at the facility.”

It’s this columnist’s view that the words “expressed admiration” add no value when readers have already been told that Ms Chapo has commended the MNH.

And the word “improved” has been uselessly as readers have already been told that the NMH offers quality services. Why, one will be entitled to ask: improved from what level to what other level?

Furthermore, the use of preposition “following” is simply outrageous, context-wise. Here’s our partial rewrite: “The First Lady of Mozambique, Ms Gueta Chapo,

has commended the Muhimbili National Hospital DUE TO (not following) its quality health services.”

Finally, we pick up a copy of the Tuesday, May 13 edition of Bongo’s huge and colourful broadsheet, Page 5 of which has a story entitled, ‘1,215 procuring entities post Sh46.88trl procurement plans.” In this one, the scribbler writes, purportedly on the basis of what a government official said:

“During the LAST 2023/24 financial year, he said, the Government HAS SAVED $4.93milion equivalent to Sh13.33 billion…”

There’re two contentious matters here. One, the current financial year is 2024/25, which is to say, FY 2023/24 is obviously LAST financial year; so, why say it? Two, last year, we say, the Government SAVED (not has saved) $4.93 million.

Ah, this treacherous language called English!