NTV anchor Larry Madowo has revealed he was forced to borrow a shirt from a friend after the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) sought him out to get his opinion on revelations that Cambridge Analytica was retained by President Uhuru Kenyatta to influence the outcome of last year’s election.
This was after the outspoken journalist penned a hart-hitting commentary in the Washington Post on how the UK firm, which has been placed under investigation, poisoned Kenya’s democracy.
Madowo, who stopped writing for the Daily Nation after some of his seniors got uncomfortable with his anti-government posture, has become a darling of global media outlets seeking an opinion on Kenyan issues, including the recent television shutdown and the nomination of the Watu Wote film for an Oscar award. They include BBC World News, CNN, Washington Post and Al Jazeera.
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Apart from the Washington Post, CNN also published a piece on the media shutdown, which had been intended for the #Front Row column in the Daily Nation but was rejected.
This week, Madowo has featured on BBC, Al Jazeera and the Washington Post amid speculation his stay at Nation Centre could be short-lived following the departure of Linus Kaikai, the station’s general manager.
Apparently silenced at home, he has found space on international outlets to air his bold views, something that some see as a betrayal of his country.
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“Am still wondering why madowo runs to the international media to tell them about his country, and how comes in your show you don’t discuss issues affecting other countries and get those journalists to talk of those issues, kwani how much does Kenya disgust you?” one Rose Waitakha posed on his Instagram page.
It is not the first time Madowo has been forced to borrow clothes or improvise following impromptu calls seeking an interview, which are normally conducted on Snapchat giving one little time to be fully prepared.
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He had a similar experience with BBC in 2016. “I forgot about that BBC interview until we were 5 minutes out. I had no time to put anything on so I just spoke to the world in my underwear,” he said at the time.
