Locking media practitioners out of MCK board carries great risk

ICT CS Eliud Owalo and Media Council of Kenya CEO David Omwoyo addressing the media in Nairobi on January 26, 2023, during the unveiling of the MCK selection panel. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

A media governance storm has been brewing for the past month. So far pre-occupying a handful of state officers, media regulators, editors, and journalists, how it is handled could affect the public's right to know and the future of Kenya's independent press. It could also demonstrate whether the Kenya Kwanza administration has learned from the pitfalls of the Jubilee administration.

Following a request from the ICT Ministry, the Attorney General has legally advised Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo that media employees, media association leaders and public servants cannot serve as members of the board of the Media Council of Kenya. The Attorney General justifies his position by arguing that this will preserve the Media Councils' independence, avoid conflicts of interest and paralysis in the functioning of the Council and especially, the commission that handles complaints.