Moi and his son gideon recently merged their shares in the group and now are the largest shareholders in the group, which also runs baraza ltd, the owners of kenyas first private owned television station, ktn. The role of the media in kenyaintroductionthe modern media in kenya was started by the missionaries and the british settlers. Mass mediastate relations in postcolonial kenya citeseerx. Kenya opposition suspends protests after supporters are. Democracy and political participation main report 29 executive summary 31 a. Freedom of expression is one of the main pillars of democracy, argues the africa free media trust afmt in this weeks pambazuka news.
The primary aim of this paper is to critically examine the importance of media in politics. The repeal of section 2a of the constitution in 1991 which had until then ensured one party rule not only ushered in plural politics but also precipitated. These are the constitution of kenya 2010, the political parties act 2011, the elections act 20 11 and the electoral. Media influence on public policy in kenya strathmore business school page 3 1. Some played extremely partisan politics that was more aligned to local audiences than to national interests. The voice of kenya was not spared either and was renamed kenya broadcasting corporation, designated as a parastatal and mouthpiece of the government in 1989. Media culture and environment a historical perspective 37 8. Easily share your publications and get them in front of issuus.
The african and kenyan media as the political public sphere. Media ownership patterns the ownership of the mass media namely. Pdf the paper examines the role of new media in political marketing during the 20 general elections in kenya. The media council act, 20 was assented to by the president on 24 december 20 and came into force on 10 january 2014 following the repeal of the media act, 2007 which established the media council of kenya.
Their overall objective is to inform, educate, entertain and to propagate all that consolidates national unity, peace and stability in kenya. The media council of kenya is an independent national institution established by the media act, 2007 as the leading institution in the regulation of media and in the conduct and discipline of journalists in kenya. Political economy of the kenyan media towards a culture of. Aug 10, 2017 how the media covered kenyas general election august 10, 2017 1. The official residence of the vice president of kenya. Political influence of the media in developing countries. In kenya, public reports provide evidence of links between elite politicians and broadcast media nyanjom 2012. Basic assumption a key objective of the majority of women that engage in politics is not only to gain power but also to use the. Kenyas establishment media is frequently cited as the strongest in east africa, thanks to constitutional protections for freedom of the press, a broad plurality of media, bold journalists, and kenyans healthy demand for news and information. As kenyans become techsavvy, negative impacts of the frequent use of social media are being felt, with women being major victims of cyber bullying. Freedom of expression and censorship in kenya pambazuka news. Media in kenya includes more than 91 fm stations, more than 64 free to view tv stations and an unconfirmed number of print newspapers and magazines. Media owners with strong political affiliations tend to be politically coopted. The youth in kenya are by far the majority agegroup, yet their role in politics is hampered by their inability to access mainstream political information.
It was three weeks since a closely contested presidential election had ended in dispute, and the country had exploded into tribal violence. With all capacity resided in a strong prefectural provincial administration, political parties remained underdeveloped. The four theories of the press developed by fred siebert, theodore peterson and wilbur schram in1956, provide, so far, the best philosophical and analytical bases for. Project muse the political economy of the media in kenya. The aim of this thesis is to illustrate, using the kenyan case, the power of the masses. Kenya, the election crisis, and the nation media group in midjanuary 2008, violent confrontations in kenya were making international headlines daily. The press plays a major role in public life, influencing citizens focus. There is a problem it appears you are using categories and no feeds have been put into those categories. By grace githaiga1 the media in kenya has grown tremendously in the last two decades more or less in parallel with the expansion in democratic space, which in itself evokes the close linkage between media and democratic tenets. Kanu kenya african national union a political party in kenya kbc kenya broadcasting corporation knchr kenya national commission of human rights ktn kenya television network. The influence of media ownership and control on media agenda setting in nigeria okafor godson okwuchukwu phd department of mass communication, nnamdi azikiwe university, awkanigeria abstract.
The coverage of sexuality by the kenyan print media. The impact of kenyas legal and institutional frameworks. The national study is part of khrcs efforts to demystify the role ethnicity plays in kenya s political system in a way that is accessible to scholars, activists, and the wider public. Kenya through the media in an attempt to understand or come into terms with reality. The political orientation in state society relations in kenya since independence has been characterized by a determination by the state to control society.
While this is significant year politically, it is also arguably the most important year for kenyans in terms of the way social media has. The role of the media in kenya linkedin slideshare. Vernacular or communitybased languages are commonly used in broadcast media. Media influence on public policy final business advocacy. Digital media play a crucial role in the kenyan society. Parties and electoral politics in kenya, 19922002 karuti kanyinga 96 4 the politics of alliance building in kenya. Political instability around disputed elections in august, which saw mass protests met by excessive use. The political parties spent billions trying to win us over to their side. Digital media in kenya by media council of kenya issuu. The article demonstrates how kenyas news media are entangled in a complex power structure, which has enabled but also constrained its development.
Mapped against the countrys political and economic history, the article disaggregates and traces the development of these media, from their cooption by the kenyatta state in the 1960s through. Kenya media landscape 2016 fmc group linkedin slideshare. The standard group is owned by retired president daniel moi, together with a group of associated businessmen, including his former personal secretary joshua kulei. The media we want the media vulnerabilities study report 3 contents 1. The influence of media ownership and control on media agenda. Political economy of the kenyan media towards a culture. The views expressed in articles published in this publication are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect those of the media council of kenya. Aug 11, 2017 kenyas elections show how the media has sold its soul a man reads a newspaper outside the central market in mombasa, kenya, on aug. Although ethnic violence has been a recurring ingredient of kenya.
Social media and youth interest in politics in kenya. Kenyas opposition leader, raila odinga, is threatening to boycott the presidential election rerun without reforms to the electoral commission. To a large extent most established mainstream media houses in kenya have been responsible, and have given politicians and political parties, civil society, state and nonstate actors the. Although freedom of the press and expression are theoretically guaranteed in kenya, afmt stresses that the reality is different and indeed wonders whether the country is reverting back to the old days under president daniel arap moi. Political influence of the media in developing countries analyzes the use and structure of media in political forums in developing nations. Media freedom in kenya was clearly in decline in 2017. The kenya film censorship board will classify films for exhibition in cinemas and television stations. Media in category politics of kenya the following 12 files are in this category, out of 12 total. And this is only likely to increase as social media continues to act as a key source of information, with limited checks and balances in place. As kenya goes to the polls on 4 march 20, the question uppermost in the minds of many, both locally and abroad, is this. Africa, and kenya specifically, being dependent on media politics, lives up to castells notion of what does not exist in the media, does not exist in the public mind castells 2007b, 241. Kenyas elections show how the media has sold its soul the.
The structural development of kenyas political economy. The influence of media ownership and control on media agenda setting in nigeria international journal of humanities social sciences and education ijhsse page 38 3. The earlyexamples included the taveta chronicle which was published by rev. In september, kenya was praised by many after its supreme court citing irregularities nullified the election of the countrys sitting president. The influence of media ownership and control on media. Only a month or so ago, this country kenya was awash with posters, huge spending on billboards and a massive assault on our senses in both print and electronic media. Currently, the ruling party also owns and runs a party daily newspaper, the kenya times and a television station. The impact of kenyas legal and institutional frameworks on. Feb 05, 2018 in september, kenya was praised by many after its supreme court citing irregularities nullified the election of the countrys sitting president. Featuring research on the effects of the media on news consumption and the professional and ethical difficulties journalists and editors face in the dissemination of political messages, this publication is. Social media and postelection crisis in kenya scholarlycommons.
The kenya broadcasting corporation and the kenya news agency. Broadcasters and cinemas will be expected to comply with film classification and quotas laid down for locally produced films and may be required to screen specified short films. Editors lynete lusike mukhongo and juliet wambui macharia present students, academics, researchers, policy makers, and professionals working in a wide variety of contexts with a collection of academic and expert contributions investigating the influence that the media has on politics in developing countries. I am pleased to share with you our publication, kenyan entertainment and media outlook the outlook. The culture of politics in modern kenya by angelique haugerud. The media we want the media vulnerabilities study report contents 1. The structural development of kenya s political economy volume 37 issue 1 frank w. The course examines the bases of mass media law and looks at legal, social and ethical obligations of journalists and media.
Part 1 why foster kenyan independent media introduction. This paper discusses the recent political crisis in kenya and the position of the. Kenyas main opposition group suspended protests calling for electoral reform as it accused the government of deliberately targeting supporters in a series of killings since the countrys. Mainstream media has been seen, still is, to play a significant role in political. How digital media are influencing politics and political. The repeal of section 2a of the constitution in 1991 which had until then ensured one party rule not only ushered in. Asingo 15 2 the rise and fall of the autocratic state in kenya c. Africa the politics and controversies of kenyas 2017 general election the opposition alliance formed in an attempt to oust kenyas ruling party announced its flagbearer in nairobi on thursday. Finally, on the bases of theory, experiences from other parts of the world and the views of key role players in the kenyan media landscape, the study presents. This paper collected its data from both primary and. Kenya is currently celebrating 50 years of independence.
Background note the media, legal, regulatory and policy. Membership of the complaints commission a a chairperson, who shall be a person who holds or has held a judicial o. The changing kenyan media and political landscape motivated the topic of this thesis. This article shows how digital media have been adopted in the kenyan political discourse and how kenyans used digital media for political discussions during the elections of 20.
Political communication in the subsaharan africa and the role of. Kenya us election, politics in kenya, daily nation, national news, kenya political news, political leaders, political activities and political activists. Pdf this article teases out some of the key drivers that have shaped the character and development of kenyas news media over four. This study assessed the influence of media ownership and control on media agenda setting using nigeria as a case. Jun 09, 2016 issuu is a digital publishing platform that makes it simple to publish magazines, catalogs, newspapers, books, and more online.
Renewables top 90pc of kenyas power reports have indicated there are efforts to compel the government and opposition to hold talks to heal divisions that have rocked the country. Kenyan media following the disputed 27 december 2007 election between two. Kenyas opposition leader threatens to boycott election re. Feb 14, 2017 airtel kenya coca cola government of kenya safaricom company spends kes millions 578 658 666 667 711 731 774 783 824 828 879 952 1,102 1,268 1,295 1,297 1,720 2,309 4,423 6,698 youth aviation dettol tusker lotto kenya power sona moja pain killers jamii milling startimes samsung sms 29299 zindua chapaa gotv kcb telkom orange ministry of health. Publications mainly use english as their primary language of communication, with some media houses employing swahili. Kenya, social media, weblogs, participatory journalism, citizen. Considering the discussion above on market forces, suffice it to argue that in kenya politics. Introduction this study seeks to investigate whether print media has any influence on public policy in the business sector in kenya. Odhiambombai 51 3 limitations of political liberalization. The daily nation reports that the communications commission of kenya cck is adamant that come tuesday 15th november tomorrow, any of the 26 broadcasters that will not have applied and paid for new licenses will lose their frequencies the various media owners under the umbrella of the media owners association have rushed this afternoon to court and obtained an. Sjogren, oloo and patel analyze the role of civil society in kenya s political crisis in 20072008 through the case of kenyans for peace with truth and justice kptj, a network of civil. Media, corruption and elections in kenya institute of. This publication provides an overview of the entertainment and media industry in kenya as well as deepdive discussions on subsectors like internet, television, radio, music, publishing, outofhome advertising, video games and sports.
It is mandated amongst other to register and accredit journalists, register media establishments, handle complaints from the public and create and publish yearly media audit on the. Besides those who orchestrated the unrest five years ago politicians and the now defunct electoral body the electoral commission. Mapped against the countrys political and economic history, the article disaggregates and traces the development of these media, from their cooption by the kenyatta state in the 1960s through mois nyayo republic to the narrowcasting of the polity in kenyas 2007 elections and its subsequent role in the reinvention of the nation through. Bridging theory and practice research dissemination series 3 the audience and communitydriven moderated discussion in sema kenya appears to have provided substantial opportunity to educate and inform audiences. Robert stegal of thechurch missionary society in 1895. Politics and interactive media in kenya cambridge repository. The anatomy of conflict download the anatomy of conflict the impact of digital technologies and internet download the impact of digital technologies and internet the. In kenya, media censorship casts worrying shadow cnn. Kenyas media with a suggestion for the opening up of the airwaves if the media, as the political public sphere, are to make a valuable contribution to the.
In western discourse, digital media in african countries are often associated with the socalled digital divide. Considering the discussion above on market forces, suffice it to argue that in kenya politics are considered newsworthy and often politicians who scoop the lions share as sources in news stories are relied upon by journalists when covering events leading to some form of framing and stereotypical representation of issues. Based on several years of research in kenya, the analysis ranges from telescopic to microscopic fields of vision from national political culture, oratory, and the staging of politics, to everyday struggles for livelihood among people in one rural locale during the past century. Kenyas elections in 2002 and 2007 are exemplary of this.