East
African Legislative Assembly (EALA) MP Falhada Iman Dekow speaking at a recent
function./STEPHEN ASTARIKO
East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) MP Falhada Iman Dekow has criticised a newspaper over its coverage of Kenya’s successful bid to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships in Nairobi.
Falhada accused the publication of portraying a major national achievement through a negative lens.
Falhada took particular exception to the newspaper’s headline, “Nairobi beats London in bid to host World Athletics Championship,” arguing that the achievement deserved to be presented primarily as a historic milestone for Kenya and Africa rather than as a contest in which Nairobi defeated a rival city.
In a statement reacting to the coverage, Falhada questioned whether every development involving Kenya had to be presented negatively.
“Surely, must everything about Kenya be turned into negativity?” she asked.
“A World Championship is a global stage where Kenyan athletes are flying the flag high and making the country proud. Yet, instead of giving such a historic achievement the coverage it deserves, even a full page, you seem to have endless space for government bashing, propaganda and negative headlines,” Falhada said.
She argued that while the media had a legitimate responsibility to scrutinise government, such scrutiny should not come at the expense of reporting achievements that have national significance.
“You can hold a government accountable without becoming allergic to good news about Kenya. Patriotism should not disappear simply because the story doesn’t fit your preferred political narrative,” she said.
Falhada added that a healthy media environment should accommodate both critical journalism and stories that celebrate national accomplishments.
“A healthy media landscape should have room for both scrutiny and stories that make the country proud,” she said.
Kenya was officially awarded the right to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships on Tuesday, September 15, following the 242nd World Athletics Council meeting in Budapest, Hungary. World Athletics announced Nairobi and Munich as hosts of the 2029 and 2031 editions, respectively.
The 2029 championships will be staged in September in Nairobi, with Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, serving as the main venue. The exact dates have not yet been announced.
The decision marks a major milestone for the continent because the 2029 championships will be the first edition of the senior World Athletics Championships to be held in Africa.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said Nairobi had presented a “compelling and emotional” bid, describing the decision to take the championships to Africa as historic.
“Nairobi has demonstrated emphatically that this is their moment,” Coe said, while noting Kenya’s longstanding contribution to athletics and the achievements of some of its most celebrated athletes.
Kenya had previously bid to host the 2025 World Championships, but Tokyo, Japan, was selected.
Nairobi subsequently returned with a new proposal for 2029, built around Kenya’s athletics heritage, its experience hosting international competitions and the planned transformation of Kasarani.
The venue is currently undergoing a major structural overhaul ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2029 World Championships.
World Athletics said Nairobi’s bid also benefited from Kenya’s established record of hosting major international athletics events, including the 2017 World U18 Championships and the 2021 World U20 Championships, as well as the Kip Keino Classic.
Falhada’s criticism has, however, opened a wider debate about how the Kenyan media should frame major national achievements, particularly where those achievements are associated with the government of the day.
Her comments also come against the backdrop of an increasingly strained relationship between the Kenya Kwanza administration and the media organisation, with President William Ruto having repeatedly criticised the organisation over its coverage of his administration.
The President launched one of his strongest recent attacks on the media house in June, accusing it of using what he described as persistent negative headlines to target his administration.
In a post on X on June 24, Ruto accused the media organisation of running what he called “extortionist propaganda headlines” against him and his administration and said such coverage would not force him to yield to what he described as blackmail or greed.
Ruto subsequently renewed his criticism of the media group, including questioning its ownership and its handling of employee salary issues.
President Ruto himself welcomed the decision, describing Nairobi’s selection as a victory for Kenya, Africa and generations of athletes who have built the country’s reputation on the global stage.
