Twitter is buzzing with angry Kenyans demanding apologies from members of the international media for their alleged misreporting of the ongoing elections in the country.
The anger centres around reports by CNN reporter Nima Elbagir and tweets from France 24 presenter Stuart Norval.
Elbagir had claimed Kenyans were arming themselves in the Rift Valley with “guns made from iron piping and bullets bought from the black market”, though the government claims the story was stage-managed after Elbagir refused to disclose her sources to spokesman Muthui Kariuki.
Kenyans took to Twitter to condemn Elbagir’s reporting:
I am afraid its high time we held to account the likes of Nima Elbagir of @cnn @cnni churning lies to the world about Kenya. Shame on her
— Mohammed Hersi.(@hersimohammed) March 1, 2013
#SomeoneTellCNN that we The Peaceful Kenyans DEMAND a public apology from this Nima Elbagir @cnn. This is not acceptable!
— Fatma Albeity (@f_albeity) March 1, 2013
Nima Elbagir @cnn ; How much did you pay those guys? That was cheap!!! I suggest you go cover Syria , Eastern congo if u need real war.
— Mohammed Hersi.(@hersimohammed) March 1, 2013
Meanwhile, Norval provoked a backlash after tweeting reports of gunshots in Nairobi as people fought to vote.
BREAKING Gun shots fired in #Nairobi #Kenya as huge crowds fall over each other to vote. Dramatic pictures on @france24_en in 15 min
— Stuart Norval (@stuartf24) March 4, 2013
Though Norval subsequently posted what he claimed to be a video proving the authenticity of the claims, Kenyans reacted with anger at what they considered to be misreporting.
@france24_en what of the peaceful atmospherecc @stuart24 are you sure you are in #Kenya
— karuri nyaga (@knyaga) March 4, 2013
u should be ashamed of urself @stuart24
— anne (@ceramuhia) March 4, 2013
It’s pretty clear foreign journalists like @stuart24 need to be coached by our local journalists on how to cover a Kenyan election. #KOT
— Mehul Gohil (@mehulgorilla) March 4, 2013
Kenyans are voting in their millions across the country today in the first elections since the disputed polls of 2007 resulted in widespread ethnic violence that saw 1,100 people killed.
