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Nurse Judy calls out media house over one-sided image of Kenya
06th August, 2025 07:49 AM
Kenyan content creator and nurse Judy has voiced her frustration over the way international media houses portray Kenya, calling out the repeated use of slum imagery in documentaries and news features.
This time, the backlash was sparked by a recent documentary that aired on an international TV station, where viewers noticed that scenes of poverty in Nairobi were unnecessarily included in a segment that had nothing to do with the country’s socio-economic conditions.
Judy was responding to a viewer’s comment on Instagram on Wednesday, August 6, 2025. In agreement, she reposted the comment and added her criticism: “This comment right here. They will never show ghetto places huku majuu na vile zimejaa hadi hapa LA. But when they go to Kenya, they only show slums to represent Kenya. Jeez, who did we wrong?”
Kenyans call out biased reporting
Judy’s reaction echoes a long-standing concern among many Kenyans and Africans at large that Western media outlets consistently reduce African countries to poverty, slums, and suffering, even when covering unrelated topics. In the past, media giants have come under fire for similar portrayals.
During President Obama’s 2015 visit to Kenya, CNN faced backlash for describing Kenya as a “hotbed of terror”, prompting the hashtag #SomeoneTellCNN to trend online as Kenyans defended their country’s image.
In another case, a French magazine featured a story about Nairobi’s tech scene but still chose to use images of Kibera slums, sparking outrage from Kenyan tech innovators who felt misrepresented.
Reclaiming the narrative
Judy’s post gained traction among her followers, many of whom echoed her sentiments. “They only show the struggle, never the progress,” one fan commented.
Kenyan content creators, travel vloggers, and influencers have increasingly taken it upon themselves to show a fuller, more balanced picture of life in Kenya, from luxury destinations to tech hubs, modern infrastructure, and thriving businesses.
As digital platforms give more Africans the power to control their narratives, Judy’s post is a reminder that the world is watching, and misrepresentation is no longer going unchallenged.
