Young Africans didn’t score ‘a’ 4th goal; they scored ‘the’ 4th goal

Bongo’s huge and colourful broadsheet of Thursday, June 19 has a story containing a goof that’s refusing to leave us alone! In his report filed in Mbeya, entitled, ‘Government completes compensation for Tanzam expansion following fatal accident’, the scribbler writes: “On June 7, a truck with a trailer…carrying flour lost control on the slope, colliding with two vehicles, including a PASSENGER bus…” As we’ve pointed out a zillion times here, a bus is a large vehicle for carrying passenger, period! It’s therefore nonsensical to say “passenger bus”.

Page 5 of the same broadsheet has this story, ‘CAG wants Mbarali District Council to diversify revenue beyond rice’. Now, purporting to tell readers what an auditor said, the scribbler reports: “The council’s over-dependence on rice revenue poses a significant risk as any disruption to the crop could severely jeopardize FUNDS for essential projects.”

The “funds” in regard to project implementation actually means the same thing as “money,” while “jeopardize” means “endanger”. You don’t endanger money, do you? Here’s our rewrite, in part: “…any disruption to the crop could severely jeopardize FUNDING for essential projects”.

Bongo’s senior-most broadsheet of Thursday, June 19, has a feature story on Page 17 with the headline, ‘Tanzanians take the lead at Geita Gold Mine’. Then, reporting on what Mr Cyprian Mtweve, GGM official, said, the scribbler writes: “Beyond employment, Mr Mtweve said, Geita Gold Mine (GGM) is “a” cornerstone of economic vitality in Geita Region…”

Hello! GGM is not “a” cornerstone but rather, it’s …THE cornerstone of economic vitality in Geita Region…”

We move on to the broadsheet’s Page 20 where there’s this story: ‘Giants glued in nail biting race’. One of the photos here has a caption that reads: “Young Africans’ right back, celebrates after scoring A FOURTH goal in the…match against Prisons at Sokoine Stadium in Mbeya yesterday…”

Hang on! During any particular match, a team can only score ONE fourth goal, which means we should refer to it as THE fourth goal…

Let’s now look at the Saturday, June 21 edition of the huge Nairobi tabloid that commands a sizeable readership in Bongo. In its Page 7, there’s a story entitled ‘Win for widowers in dependency law’. It’s a story about a man, one DKM, who went to court to petition against the Kenyan law which says that, for a man to have access to his departed wife’s estate, he should first prove he was her dependant! He won, thanks to his smart lawyer Shadrack Wambui.

The scribbler writes on the section of the law that denies a widower access to his late wife’s estate: “MR Wambui argued that the section violates Article 24 of the Constitution…”

Mr Wambui? No way! And this is why: Wambui is a female name amongst the Agikuyu—Ngugi wa Thiongo’s tribe. In this particular case, Wambui is Shadrack’s mother. Call him Shadrack wa Wambui. Just like this columnist: when he’s on a visit to his mother’s people, they’ll refer to him as Abdi mwana Mwantum (son of Mwantumu), but this doesn’t mean anyone will proceed and call him Mr Mwantumu!

We’re well informed that the Agikuyu are primarily a matrimonial society, so if you visit our neighbour’s Mount Kenya area, don’t get shocked to hear a man introducing himself to you thus: “I am Francis wa Rose.”

Now, back to Page 3 where there’s a story on a celebrated media man who died recently, entitled, ‘Blamuel Njururi: Fearless journalist who took on Moi’.

Towards the end of this great story, the scribbler writes: “In his HEYDAYS, he was a man who drove a Citroen through Nairobi’s turbulent decades…”

Heydays? Nope; the word—which refers to the time when somebody/something had most power or success; or was most popular—is HEYDAY. That is, irrespective how many days we’ve in mind.

Ah, this treacherous language called English!