The best show.

I love being entertained. It is one of the few pleasures that does not call for a financial outlay so long as you know what is and what is not entertaining. Being a middling student of language and its uses, I find that my entertainment comes from the skillful editing of news reports, especially on television. The more high-brow a TV station appears, the more likely it is to have a tenuous hold on the finer points of good editing and the greater the risk that irate subjects of its news reports will accuse it of "misquoting" or "misreporting".

By far my favourite subjects of the hackery that goes on in Kenya's editorial suites are the men and women who would insist on us referring to them by a panoply of officious colonial-era titles. They have distinguished themselves, especially with the not-so-careful editing of their words by the Free Hack Press, in the manner that they will use, misuse, abuse and twist language to suit their ever-growing needs. In service to their basest instincts members of the political classes have all but guaranteed that the Nine O'clock evening news "broadcast" is entertainment-on-a-budget.

Having squandered a considerable amount of the time I was meant to be obtaining academic qualifications in the pursuit of hedonistic pleasures, I have not developed a fanatical devotion to any of the men and women who pass for politicians in Kenya. Because my alma mater encouraged a high degree of insouciance in relation to politicians, I do not hang on to their every word or deed, like many of my peers who take everything very seriously. There are some with more degrees than you can a shake a stick at who are willing to do harm in the name of some politician's understanding of a Greek philosophical tenet. These are the true believers who would not countenance being bribed to listen to their leader, but would do so willingly and slavishly; they would follow their idol's every move, utterance and deed in the hope that one day, he or she will be elevated to the highest hot seat in the land.

Because of my lack of star-eyed wonder at their magnificence, I find politicians incredibly boring. That is until they are within ten feet of a TV camera and suddenly they are the Burnum & Bailey Three Ring Circus freaks come to town. They will do and say anything and depending on the hackery skills of the editor, they will be spectacular entertainment. When one of them, professionally edited, tries to explain why he opposes condoms or contraception for high school students, you get the feeling that what he knows about sex and sexuality was learnt from Penthouse and Hustler. When one of them tries to justify the wrongful approach to the impeachment of a governor, you do not need a magic 8-ball to know that he hates the governor and it doesn't matter what the governor did only that the governor's ass is going down. Hard! I do not think politicians are fools, but thanks to the editing skills of the Free Hack Press, we know that there are MPs who have never, ever heard of the scientific fact called evapotranspiration.

Politicians, and certain harlot-like specimens called socialites, are really great entertainment. They will say and do anything to be on TV, the more outrageous the better. They will have their words distorted but only those who take themselves too seriously will attempt to do anything about it. And so, that requirement under the Information and Communications Act, 1998, regarding local content on our airwaves can be satisfied simply and very, very cheaply by simply tagging along everywhere, Mheshimiwa is going - especially church - and filming in lurid detail what they say and do and set the hacks free in their editing. Tell me you don't find politicians' pseudo-pious affectations the best tragicomedy since Shakespeare.