The Media Council of Kenya (MCK) CEO Mr David Omwoyo says the public service role of the media becomes prominent during elections.
Mr Omwoyo says the media remains a critical player in electoral processes, adding that access to information is key in enabling the media to gather and disseminate right information.
The MCK CEO commended media workers for its exemplary performance during the transitional polls held in August.
"The media performed very well during the 2022 polls despite numerous challenges and this must be commended", Mr Omwoyo said during a roundtable reflection on media and access to information during the 2022 polls organised by the Council and Katiba Institute in Naivasha.
In attendance were players involved in elections; the National Police Service, the Commission on Administrative Justice (CAJ), the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP), journalists, media practitioners and media academia.
The MCK CEO added that the Council led the media industry in establishing a robust election coverage plan that sought to enhance professionalism, including training over 3,500 and accrediting 11,000 journalists and media practitioners respectively.
Saying the election ecosystem is quite dynamic, he urged the media should adjust accordingly in terms of professionalism, personnel and resources.
Mr Omwoyo at the same time urged the media to remain professional in its undertakings, especially on election matters.
“It is important that media keeps to its role of reporting and not taking over the roles of the electoral bodies", he stated.
He further urged the media to embrace new ideas and uphold transparency even as it holds the new government to account.
Katiba Institute’s Programme Manager Ms Patriciah Joseph called for enhanced efforts to boost transparency of elections in Kenya.
“There’s more to be done including audit of the elections, electoral reforms and implementation of election campaign financing laws. The media and civil society should continue playing an oversight role in elections”, she said.
Police Spokesman Mr Bruno Shioso said the Service registered success in the election compared to previous elections owing to collaborations with media industry stakeholders.
“We developed an approach that saw us work very closely with the media during the General Election. We want to uphold the remarkable improvements in the working relationship between security agencies and the media beyond elections", he said.
CAJ Assistant Director at the Advisory Unit Ms Mary Kimari said the media holds valuable space in promoting dialogue during elections and called for balanced reporting.
Mr John Mwaura from the ORPP said proliferation of media outfits including the grassroot outfits that at times have no established gatekeeping structures and qualified personnel contribute to gaps in information flow during elections.
Media and communications scholar Prof. Levi Obonyo urged the Council to expand journalists’ travel grants by creating a fund to support production of quality stories. Such stories, he said, can be accessed by the public across all media houses.
Participants at the meeting called for tailored trainings for political reporters, noting that many journalists are not adequately trained on how to capture political events, including elections.