Stakeholders in advocacy for good governance have called for stronger unity between the media and the civil society in order to sustainably tame the government excesses.
The calls come amid reports of continued intimidation of the media and the civil society at a time President William Ruto’s government is facing increased public dissent.
On Monday November 12, stakeholders drawn from the media sector, diplomatic cycles, civil society organizations, and government agencies argued that the media and the civil society continue to bear the brunt of the unresponsive regime due to the advocacy work they do.
‘Freedom of the media and CSOs is fundamental across the globe. Looking at the global situation, Kenya is better, however, latest trends show that the country is not going the right way’-European Union Ambassador to Kenya Henriette Geiger
The stakeholders who were speaking during the second annual Media-CSO forum in Nairobi noted that even though Kenya was relatively enjoying certain freedoms, the recent trends have been worrying.
“Freedom of the media and CSOs is fundamental across the globe. Looking at the global situation, Kenya is better, however, latest trends show that the country is not going the right way,” said European Union Ambassador to Kenya Henriette Geiger who was the chief guest at the event.
Worrying trends of media freedom
This year, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) global press freedom index ranked Kenya 116 out of 180 on press freedom globally. This was down from 69th in 2023.
This rating followed a series of violations against journalists, which included attacks, arbitrary arrests, threats, and being denied rights to do their work.
During the anti-2024/2025 Finance Bill protests, several journalists were injured, arrested, and threatened for exposing police excesses in dealing with protestors. The same faced civil rights activists.
According to Ms Geiger, media and the CSO have become the official opposition in Kenya, putting the government on check following the recent political compromises which saw the government and the opposition vowing to work together.
She said journalists and CSOs have faced intimidation for exposing various scandals, and providing Kenyans with a platform to question their leaders.
“EU continues to stand for safeguarding freedoms, and stand against legislations stifling these rights,” she said.
She noted that with the 2017 elections coming, various sectors needed to be united and be part of the political debate.
Unity of purpose
Media Council of Kenya (MCK) CEO David Omwoyo challenged the media to always stand with the CSOs when they are targeted by the government.
“When the media was targeted by the government, it was the CSOs which stood for them, and challenged the government. But the same was not the case when the government went for the CSOs,” he said.
The forum was organised by Kenya Correspondents Association (KCA) and Civic Freedoms Forum (CFF) in partnership with PEN Kenya, Transparency International , Katiba Institute, Association of Media Women in Kenya (AMWIK), Media Council of Kenya , European Union in Kenya among other stakeholders.
Haraka Matara, the Chairman of Kenya Correspondents Association (KCA) noted that; “KCA is committed to fostering collaborations and partnerships with in the media , the civil society sector, government agencies, development partners, and international agencies in our work and service to humanity.”
The forum themed ‘safeguarding Freedoms in the Digital Age: Protecting Voices, Advancing Technology, and Ensuring Access’ focused on among other topics; protection of journalists and whistleblowers, addressing access to information, integration of artificial intelligence into journalism in Kenya, which are major challenges facing the media in Kenya.
The participants noted that addressing these challenges require a concerted effort from the government, civil society, and international organizations to safeguard press freedom and enhance Kenya’s democratic space.
In times of struggle, there is increase on unethical behavior among journalists. It is important for journalists to police one another’-Churchill Otieno, President of The Africa Editors Forum
Apart from the shaking democratic space, panel discussions and plenary sessions exposed a range of other struggles the media is currently facing, including shrinking revenue sources, artificial intelligence and fast transforming media landscape.
The stakeholders noted that for the media to stay on course, there is need to ensure utmost professionalism.
“In times of struggle, there is increase on unethical behavior among journalists. It is important for journalists to police one another,” said Churchill Otieno, President of The Africa Editors Forum (TAEF).
