Bringing the hashtag #SomeoneTellCNN back to life, Kenyans on Twitter have taken exception to the news outlet’s reduction of Kenya to a target for the Al Shabaab.
They see it as an attempt to rain on Kenya’s parade ahead of what is largely seen as President Obama’s homecoming.
Unless you are the one bringing the terror,we are a hotbed of investment opportunities & great people #SomeoneTellCNN pic.twitter.com/ewtuSqQ1VX
— Chris Kirubi (@CKirubi) July 23, 2015
#SomeOneTellCNN That Kenya is not a banana republic! Tunaona mmetuzoea!
— MWONGELA FRANCIS (@mwongelaf) July 23, 2015
#SomeoneTellCNN It's foolish for an international media house to report so sensationally. Are they that desperate for attention?
— Henry (@Camundih) July 23, 2015
#SomeoneTellCNN the so called #TerrorHotBed is home to names such as Lupita, Wangari Maathai and Obama himself!!
— eunita agengo (@JuanitAgengo) July 23, 2015
But another who tweeted as @ObamaSnr saw it as a case of the pot calling the kettle black.
We are the same ones who tweet about THE terror attacks in KE and now blame CNN. #SomeoneTellCNN https://t.co/wy4uzSv6hB
— Rhett Butler (@ObamaSnr) July 23, 2015
The CNN package headlined, “Security fears as Obama heads to terror hotbed,” includes an analyst who says the US military has increased its offensive against the Al Shabaab in Somalia to, “send a very clear message to Al-Shabaab not to try to attempt anything against the President.”
And while they admit that an attack on Obama would be unlikely given his security detail, they argue the Al Shabaab are likely to try and make a point by targeting, “softer targets,” such as shopping malls.
After which they go on to show pictures of the September 2013 assault on the Westgate Mall during which 67 were killed.
They also promoted an upcoming package on the worst terror attack on Kenya since then, the Garissa University College early morning ambush in which 148 were killed, 142 of them students, earlier in the year.
CNN first caught the ire of Kenyans on Twitter when it aired a story showing youth readying to fight ahead of the last general election in the Rift Valley in what appeared to be play acting.
The Rift Valley being the “hotbed” of the 2008 post-election violence.