Kenya ICT sector update- Media

It is funny that during retired president Daniel Moi’s rule, journalists did not match in the streets. Though Moi was autocratic and tortured several journalists, the demonstration against the media bill last year was the highlight of President Mwai Kibaki’s engagement with the media.
 
Journalists from both electronic and print media joined hands in protest against a clause in the bill that would have given the government a leeway to muzzle the press. The clause in question related to the composition of the media council, a body to oversee the media, receive complaints and punish errant journalists/media houses. The government wanted to chair and bankroll the council, which would have been a perfect avenue to crack down on media houses considered “anti establishment”.
 
Though Attorney General Amos Wako announced on the eve of the demonstration that the government had given in, the demonstration went ahead, as a sign to the government that the journalists were ready to defend their freedom.
 
The bill was later renamed “The Media Council” bill and is pending in parliament. However, the Media Council has already been formed.
 
In February, Media Council Chairman Wachira Waruru was engaged in a war of words with Director of Information Ezekiel Mutua over an intended audit of how the media covered the post-election violence.
 
While the council felt it had the powers to conduct such research, Mutua thought that only the government could empower the media council to conduct the audit. Incidentally, Mutua is a former chairman of Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ) and has rebuffed such government efforts in the past.
Theatrics aside, there are about 10 TV stations and more than 30 FM radio stations. Most of the radio stations have had to cut a niche in order to attract listeners. E.g. Classic FM has specialised in discussing sex issues while Easy FM plays Blues and R&B. Others are typically youth oriented like Homeboyz radio, which plays hip hop music.