Citizen Weekly Editors To Vie In 2007 General Elections

Every Monday in Nairobi, large crowds of people are seen scrambling at the news stands in the afternoon to catch a glimpse of the latest edition of the citizen weekly newspaper, which not only provides juicy gossip about the ruling elite but also covers scandals rocking the Kibaki administration.

The weekly has gained popularity over the past year as it covers stories that the mainstream media cannot touch including the philandering lifestyles of the high and mighty who have in more than one occasion been caught in the city's red light district picking prostitutes most of whom are minors.

Behind the controversial publication that has been raided by police even in the Kibaki era is one Thomas Alwaka who was formerly an editor with a party owned newspaper, the Kenya Times. His able assistant is Willy Kimanzi who does the editorial and has his own column in the publication, which is said to have a circulation of over 20,000 copies weekly.

On several occasions, police have raided the offices in Nairobi looking for Mr Alwaka but in most cases, the slippery editor has not been found and has the probity of rushing to his lawyer who escorts him to the police stations or the law court to seek orders to have the police stop harassing him.

Unfortunately, on the dark side, the publication has on several occasions been used as a weapon to settle scores among the ruling elite who pass on real and imagined stories about their rivals accompanied with cash tokens to the publishers and this has dealt a big blow to the credibility of the newspaper.

In some instances, the employees of the newspaper have been accused of blackmail and soliciting for cash not to print damaging dossiers about certain prominent people but all these are mere allegations as non of them are yet to be taken to court with such accusations.

Surprisingly, both Alwaka and his deputy harbor political ambitions with the former said to be gunning for a parliamentary seat in western province, namely Emuhaya while Kimanzi aspires to be a civic leader in Kibera in Nairobi which is the slum area in Langata constituency represented by presidential hopeful Raila Odinga.
The duo have rubbed shoulders with the high and the mighty in the course of their work and it is really not surprising that they have decided to plunge into the murky world of politics where anything goes. Not to mention the fact that Kenyan politicians are among the best paid in the world, enough cash incentive to attract most Kenyans.