A Western Kenya Times reporter based in Lugari Sub-County in Kakamega County is fearing for his life after becoming a target of trolls from goons sponsored by a local politician for the better part of Friday evening.
Tom Lutali, a chronicler of the socio-political and economic pulse of the sub-county, had to endure disparaging remarks hurled by supporters of a local politician on Facebook and WhatsApp groups.
The Western Kenya Times has established that this is being done as part of a campaign to discredit the valiant reporter and the media establishment.
At the center of the orchestrated campaign is a person identified by the nickname Golden Perfect Classic, who boasts of being a member of Mautuma Ward MCA Charles Anyona’s media team and assuming the mantle of a virtual puppeteer commanding a legion of online warriors critical to the WKT’s reporting.
Golden wrote a post with malice and shared it on multiple Facebook and WhatsApp forums, and went ahead to pay at least one blogger to disseminate the false news narrative, which the Western Kenya Times editorial team denounced as pernicious and conceived.
“Tom Lutali sielewi ni news huwa hawa Western Kenya Times hukosa ama ni nini, sasa kila siku ni Hon Charles Anyona Ogachi kila saa anyona mara oooh…we are to report this matter to the next level,” read part of the statement.
The response follows the publication of three articles by WKT throughout the week. Two articles examined the public’s reaction to the endeavors of MCA Charles Anyona, while another delved into the inauguration of a four-classroom edifice at Makhukhuni Primary School by the honorable Lugari MP, Nabii Nabwera.
It was this particular piece that provided the catalyst for the goons, fervent supporters of the MCA, to pounce upon. Nabwera vehemently refuted the headline’s claim of an allocated sum of Sh4 million, decrying it as misleading and unfounded.
“I am fine but a little overwhelmed by the mixture of emotions. I didn’t expect it to go overboard. The stories were written with the best of intentions, and therefore I find Golden’s action irrational,” Tom said during an editorial meeting to weigh into the unfolding chaos last evening.
The Western Kenya Times is considering suing Golden for defamation based on his claims that Tom Lutali is being renumerated to tarnish the reputation of the said leaders.
Sam Oduor is the editor-in-chief at the Western Kenya Times who leverages the power of the Internet in telling stories that shape opinions.