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By Austine Okande
If BBC’s HARDtalk host was moderating the first ever presidential debate in Kenya on November 26, then those to appear before Stephen Sackur could be having their communication and research departments working overtime.
This is because he could come up with a question that touches on something one might have said or done in Standard Two!
The BBC host is highly respected for doing his homework well and asking the difficult questions. The show’s highly trained researchers dig up information of guests weeks, even months, before the actual interview.
Kenyans are anticipating the historic debate and they have reason to. Since 2008 when President Barack Obama gunned for the American presidency, many woke up before dawn to watch the televised US presidential debates. Recently, many Kenyans have actively ranked the performances of President Obama and his Republican rival Mitt Romney on social media.
This means presidential aspirants for next year’s March 4 General Election will be dealing with an informed audience that knows how such debates are handled.
Sackur was recently in the country to record new episodes of his programme dubbed the Kenya Direct season, which focuses on topical issues in the country.
He interviewed top government officials and other leaders including the United Republican Party leader William Ruto whom he asked hard-nosed questions especially about his going ahead with the presidential race despite the charges he is facing at the International Criminal Court.
“All presidential debates should be based on policies and issues where the moderator is expected by the audience to grill such a leader, dig beneath the skin, get them to talk on issues and facts that affect the society,” Sackur, who is known for his sack-and-burn approach to interviews, urges. Sackur, 48, is a master at delivering the big sucker punch that some interviewees never see coming their way.
“To run an effective interview I read a lot, have a big team of producers who help in conducting a thorough research and most importantly, I think a lot,” he explains.
He says most African politicians tend to have vibrant personalities, which make them different from most European leaders who are professionally trained not to answer just any question posed by the interviewer but stick to what they call bullet points of their message.
“The African politicians are dodgy and are often tempted to veer off the strict discussion key points. And they rather engage in a personal conversation.”
He says this is an important consideration he puts in mind while running interviews with most African leaders as it also gives him an opportunity to set specific questions.
“Being on the hot seat driving the HARDtalk show, it is my responsibility to ask tough questions to the world’s most influential leaders; politicians, religious and business leaders who shape the world we live in today,” says Sackur, a graduate of Cambridge and Harvard universities.
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